


Of Swords and Scales

by assortedpencils, SailorDickPlanet



Series: Of Swords and Scales [1]
Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blood and Gore, Dragons, Elves, Gods, M/M, Magic, OC - Miasma Sentience, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-29
Updated: 2016-04-15
Packaged: 2018-04-17 21:46:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 54
Words: 208,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4682564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/assortedpencils/pseuds/assortedpencils, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorDickPlanet/pseuds/SailorDickPlanet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An unfortunate knight is tasked with slaying the dragon terrorizing the mountain pass with nothing more than the steed he rode on and the old family sword in his grasp. When an ancient curse accidentally binds the dragon into human form, the two set out to break it, and end up on a journey that unravels forbidden histories and secrets that were never supposed to be known.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just an Heirloom

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally a role play over skype that my partner and I enjoyed so thoroughly, we wanted to share. We took Abyss' setting and characters and drowned them in themes and ideas borrowed from Dragon Age, Skyrim, and World of Warcraft because we wanted to have a serious fantasy AU. We sincerely hope that you enjoy and will stick around for more.

Humans. Small, insignificant, utterly uninteresting. No matter the era, or how far they’d thought they’d come, the truth of the matter was that they were no different from how they’ve always had been. It didn’t matter how fancy their tools became, how civilized they pretended to be by hiding behind ‘noble’ causes and laws. None of it mattered, because in the end, they always reverted back to one thing.

War.

It divides them, ruins them, and yet for some bizarre reason, humanity cannot escape it. They’re bound to it, unwilling to see just how pointless their squabbles were in the grand scheme of things. In times long since past, creatures of magic and might use to be fascinated with humanity, and worked willingly alongside them, to better them with wisdom and teachings. But with centuries of arrogance and greed, humanity was slowly abandoned by these teachers, and left to deal with their problems on their own.

Commonplace knowledge became rumors, became myths, became legends as the millennia passed, and slowly, the world became devoid of magic and wonder.

_Sylph Decan, Remday 38 N.D. 2016_

Lightning streaked across the sky, as a heavy and unforgiving rain beat down mercilessly on the unfortunate caravan caught within the storm. Horses strained to pull carriages that had wheels sinking rapidly into the thick mud. Guardsmen shouted at each other over the downpour to get out and push, throwing their weight against the fanciest carriage, located in the center of their formation, to try and get it to budge. Within, a young maiden of seventeen with cropped blonde hair peered out of the window to see her guards struggling greatly with the elements. She poised herself to exit her carriage, ready to offer assistance, but stopped herself when she witnessed an arrow piercing the throat of one of her men. The poor guard didn’t even get the chance to scream before he fell face first into the mud. A second speared through the head of another, and the young maiden had to cover her mouth to keep herself from shrieking. A barrage of arrows came raining down upon the caravan, and the guards all dropped down one by one until none were left standing.

She backed away from the carriage’s door, hands shaking as her heart pounded in her ears, and ducked down to try and hide beneath the seats. The door was forcibly yanked open, and a hand reached out to snatch her by the ankle. She turned, catching a glimpse of the Malkuth crest adorning their uniforms. She screamed, kicking her leg wildly in a vain attempt to break the enemy soldier’s grasp. Another hand grabbed hold of her dress and they pulled, forcing her out of the safety of her carriage and into the fray. Her satin white dress was splashed with mud and blood as they threw her down onto the ground next to the guard’s corpses, one of the men then balling her hair up into his fist.

“Hah ha! We got ‘er, boys!” The soldier cried out triumphantly as the other men cheered. “Tie ‘er up ‘an let’s get movin’! It’s a long trip back to Grand Chokmah.” He then snickered, looking down at the terrified young maiden completely at his mercy. “Oh does his Majesty have plans for you, Princess.” He started to cackle, and her wide, terrified eyes stared upwards at him as a large clap of thunder boomed overhead.

_Sylph Decan, Loreleiday 45 N.D. 2016_

News of the Princess’ kidnapping reached the capital of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear in record time. Malkuth had taken her hostage, a bargaining piece as a means to negotiate over a territory dispute. Their demands: the Deo mountain range and the mining city of Akzeriuth, once originally Malkuth territory that had been annexed into Kimlasca’s after the last war. The mountains themselves were pretty worthless, save for maybe a slight strategic advantage and natural defense; no, the real value lay in the city, built atop one of the richest ore deposits known to man. The city had been established hundreds of years ago and only thrice has a vein gone dry. Whoever controlled the city gained control of the global economy.

Although beloved by the people, the king decided that the princess just wasn’t worth the strategic and material advantage of the terrain, so Kimlasca officially refused to negotiate.

Malkuth replied by sending them her head.

_Undine Decan, Lunaday 3 N.D. 2016_

Outraged by the loss of their beloved princess, the citizens of Kimlasca rallied completely behind the new war, giving it their utmost support. Fighting along the borders exploded, so much so that even the autonomous states nearby had to crack down on their laws and enforce restrictions to keep the fighting and casualties to a minimum. The fighting was fiercest in the disputed territory, where countless battles between the nation’s armies took place along the mountain pass. Piles of corpses from both armies lay strewn about haphazardly and littered the mountainside. 

A couple of Kimlascan soldiers had pinned a lone Malkuth soldier that had strayed too far from his unit up against a cliff face with nowhere to go. They grinned menacingly, closing in on their prey with their swords raised, ready to cut this cur down like the rest of his disgusting kind. The Malkuth soldier was breathing hard, hands trembling around the hilt of his sword, knowing that these would be his last moments on Auldrant. He looked at the Kimlascans, but something caught his gaze and he ended up looking behind them, when the color absolutely drained from his face. He dropped to his knees and put his hands above his head, whimpering pathetically which only caused the Kimlascan soldiers to laugh… until a very large shadow fell over them and they turned to see something of legends staring them down.

It snarled, growling ferociously before roaring so loudly that every single soldier fighting along the mountain pass had stopped to wonder just what had made that sound. The three soldiers took off in a dead sprint away from the creature, running away as fast as they could, not daring to look back. They ran down the narrow mountainside pass as quickly as their legs would allow, and when their comrades that had been locked in battle saw them running for dear life, only one word could be communicated clearly through the sheer panic and terror that gripped their entire beings.

Dragon.

_Gnome Redecan, Gnomeday 18 N.D. 2018_

“You wanted to see me, sir?” The tent flap opened up as a young man stepped inside, squinting as his eyes took a moment to adjust from the bright sun to the rather dim light within. 

“Ah, if it isn’t the young Master Gailardia. Do come in.” A voice from the rear of the tent spoke up. “Oh, or should I be calling you, what was it, Cecil, now?” An older man, mid to late thirties with thick spectacles spoke up from where he was seated at a desk looking over some paperwork. The blond frowned and shook his head.

“No, just ‘Guy’ suffices,” he supplied with a small, resigned sigh. “What is it that you wished to see me about?” The older man set his papers down and then took a moment to remove his glasses, setting them down onto the desktop.

“I have a task for you to carry out.” he said, glancing back over his paperwork before his gaze snapped over to the young noble.

“Alright,” Guy nodded as the older man then looked a bit perplexed, “…Colonel Curtiss?” He tilted his head slightly.

“Forgive me, this is a rather… unusual task that, to be honest, I feel somewhat foolish even assigning you to do it. But the scouts absolutely insisted the matter be looked into, so - ” He closed his eyes and shook his head, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “The scout teams are reporting highly unusual activity deeper in the mountain range that’s not coming from Kimlascan troops, and a few of them are going so far as reporting sightings of a dragon, of all things...” Guy blinked.

“…A dragon?” he parroted as the colonel nodded. “You’re joking, right?” Please tell him the colonel was joking.

“This isn’t the first time a dragon’s been reported in the area. There was that incident two years ago.” the colonel replied as he stood up from the desk. It was now Guy’s turn to look puzzled.

“I thought the last dragon was killed over two hundred years ago?” he trailed off, gaze falling towards the tent’s floor as he mulled over what he could recall of the old stories he had been told as a child.

“I believe your great, great, great grandfather got the honor of slaying it, correct?” the colonel asked and Guy nodded. “Your ancestor mounted its head on a pike and paraded it around as a trophy, right?” Again, Guy nodded. “I want you to look into this matter personally. You’ll be supplied with a horse and some rations -”

“M-Me?!” Guy blinked, completely taken aback that the colonel would think to delegate such a task to him. “Me? Why me? Why are you ordering me, by myself, to look into the possibility of an actual dragon roaming the mountain range?” 

“You have the ‘impressive’ family lineage that has a history of dragon slaying,” the colonel replied with an easy grin. “Not to mention you’re the only one here actually trained beyond the scope of the military and properly knighted. There’s also the fact that it’s faster to send one person, quieter. The dragon will never see you coming.” His words were sarcastic but his tone sounded so genuine. It was difficult to get a read on the man. Guy didn't look convinced by the colonel’s rather pathetic argument for sending him off to do this alone, so the colonel’s eyes then fell to Guy’s waistline, glancing at the sword strapped to his hip. “You also have the magical family sword, don’t you?” 

Guy scoffed and rolled his eyes, grabbing the hilt to pull it from its sheath. “It’s not magic, it’s just an old heirloom.” He said, admiring the blade’s fine craftsmanship in the dim light of the tent before putting it back.

“An old heirloom that slew a dragon,” the colonel pointed out. “Not just any weapon can pierce the hide of a dragon, you know.” Guy then furrowed his brows together as he looked at the colonel incredulously.

“You seem to know an awful lot about dragons considering they were thought to be long dead.” He crossed his arms, shifting his weight from one hip to the other.

“When you get to be my age, you acquire knowledge about a great many things, no matter how relevant or irrelevant they may be,” he said a bit casually, stepping forwards to clap a hand onto Guy’s shoulder. “It’s highly unlikely that this supposed dragon even exists and more likely that the scouts are just terrified, running on superstition or rumors. I just need you to go out there, poke around, and see for yourself. In the off chance that there is a dragon prowling around, well, you’ve got dragon slayer’s blood in your veins and a magic family sword that will protect you.” He grinned a little too easily, and suddenly Guy felt very ill at ease.

With no room for argument, as it was a direct order from his military superior, Guy was saddled up with a horse, given a cut of rations for his travels, and was sent on his way up the mountain pass. He gripped the old leather reins tightly, trying to quell his trembling hands as nerves set in when he recalled the old stories his sister had used to read to him when he was small. Tales of the monstrous beasts that breathed fire, kidnapped princesses, and stole treasure only to be felled by the true aim of a pure-hearted knight. He took a brief moment to look at himself: short golden hair kept neatly trimmed, bright blue eyes, polished armor bearing a crest of nobility stamped into the breastplate only partially hidden beneath a tabard that proudly displayed the Malkuth emblem, atop a magnificent white horse with a supposedly magic sword strapped to his side.

Life was funny sometimes, wasn’t it? 

This certainly wasn’t how he had envisioned himself when he enlisted with the military to aid the war efforts. During the ride, he briefly wondered about dragons in general: were they as large as landships? Did they wear the corpses of their fallen victims as armor? Did they breathe fire so hot it could melt the ground? The further away from the military encampment he went and the more he thought about dragons and just how terrifying they could be, the more his stomach seemed to tie itself in nervous knots. No… It was silly to get himself so completely worked up like this. Dragons were all dead, the scouting team was just too scared to do their jobs right. He would be just fine.

Guy wandered around the mountain pass for a good two hours, finding no signs of activity. He was bored, it was hot with the sun high overhead constantly beating down on him, and there were very few trees along his path to provide shade. Sweat dripped down his brow, and he found himself reaching for his canteen to relieve his dry, parched throat, only to discover that his canteen was no longer filled. His horse was starting to slow down as well, overtired from such steep trekking in oppressive heat with very little water, which meant that if he didn’t get off soon to give the steed some rest, it would collapse from exhaustion and leave him stranded.

He dismounted his horse and grabbed hold of the reins, leading the animal up a short, but still rather steep incline that curved around the mountain naturally. When the terrain finally leveled, there was a good, large patch of flat land that lead up to the side of the mountain where a large cave was located.

“Praise the Seven,” he panted, dragging his horse along to the mouth of the cave where it was easily a good fifteen degrees cooler in the shade. He sighed heavily with relief, sliding down the wall of the cave until he was seated on the ground, taking a few moments to just cool off. The horse’s ears twitched forwards and it became very alert, looking around towards the dark interior of the cave as it repeatedly stamped its hooves into the dirt. It then snorted and reared back, whinnying loudly as it turned around to run off. Guy leapt back up to his feet to try and grab at the horse before it could get away from him, but it was too late, the horse ran back the way they came, and disappeared behind the downward slope of the trail. His shoulders sagged as he hung his head; stranded, without water, in the middle of a hot mountain pass… At least he had found shade and shelter with this cave.

Those thoughts he had been using to try and comfort himself, however, soon dissipated completely as he swore he could hear something coming from deep within the cave. It sounded… It almost sounded like breathing…


	2. Lost and Found

Oh, this wasn’t good… This really wasn’t good. Guy grabbed his sword and pulled it free from its sheath, holding the blade out towards the darkness of the cave as his eyes darted about, keeping watch for anything that might appear. The noise itself seemed to die down, and the resulting silence was so unnerving Guy really wished that it hadn’t. He swallowed thickly, steeling his nerves to take that first step forward into the abyss. In all likelihood he had accidentally stumbled on a wolves’ den or perhaps even an axe beak’s nesting ground. Maybe a bear if he was feeling particularly adventurous, though he didn’t think there were any that were actually native to this region. His feet treaded carefully over the uneven terrain of the cave while his hand blindly groped along the wall to keep him oriented as light became more scarce the further he went in.

Slow and steady… no sudden, jerky movements that might startle whatever lay within…

There was an decline to this cave, and when he had reached the bottom of it, there were a series of passageways that lead further into the mountain side. All of them looked relatively empty, no signs of life or recent activity, but still, he needed to keep his guard up and stay alert. Last thing he needed was to get careless, or end up lost - these tunnels seemed to intertwine with one another almost like a maze. How far these tunnels went into the mountain, he could only guess, but he pressed onwards after deciding that the tunnel to the left looked a little less fraught.

Guy found himself counting his steps, two hundred eighty-three, two hundred eighty-four, likely out of boredom. Internally he was chastising himself for letting his mind wander when he knew he should be on high alert for any predators, but his progress had just been so uneventful, he needed something to occupy his thoughts. When he stopped counting his steps, he picked up on the sound of rushing water echoing throughout the tunnel. His eyes widened when he realized that there must be an underground spring here, which meant he would not die of dehydration! He quickened his pace, speeding up to a slow trot to hurry things up just a bit as he rounded the corner and down another, rather steep decline, where he found himself standing within a large cavern. A massive waterfall came gushing out of a crack in the upper chamber that spilled into a large pool. There was a thick current, nearly a whirlpool, which meant that it had to have a rather large natural drain.

He sheathed his sword and hurried over towards the edge of the pool, being extra careful to watch his footing, where he cupped the water into his hands and brought it up to his dried, chapped lips to drink. Cool, refreshing, and tasting of minerals that were located within the mountain; he drank enough to quench his thirst, and then started to rummage through his pack until he pulled out the canteen which he then filled. Now, if he could just find his horse, he could get back to the encampment and then punch that no good Jade in the face for ordering him on what was essentially a damn suicide mission. He carded a hand through his hair and sighed heavily, sticking the filled canteen into his pack before fastening it back on. These caves were empty; there had been no signs of life that he could find, so perhaps those sounds he had been hearing earlier were just his mind playing tricks on him.

With a couple more splashes of water to his face to wash off the dirt and sweat that had accumulated from the long trip, Guy stood up only for the ground beneath his foot to fall away into the pool, causing him to lose his balance. He yelped loudly, eyes wide as he flailed to try and keep steady, but it was for naught. He fell into the pool with a heavy splash, the weight of his armor and the force of the current dragging him down towards the center.

Sucked down through a thick crack and spit out into a lower cavern chamber, Guy yelled as he plummeted down into another pool. He gasped and sputtered the moment he broke the surface of the water, his arms thrashing around to try and keep him afloat. Thankfully for him, this new pool didn’t seem to have the strong current of the other one, so wading back to solid ground was not too difficult a task.

“That’s what I get for not thanking Undine properly,” he muttered bitterly as he finally hoisted himself onto solid ground. All things considered that could have gone a lot worse, like getting lodged in that crack and drowning. Oh that was a pleasant thought. His eyes glanced upwards at the hole he had fallen through, seeing the steady stream of water emptying out into this pool, which then turned into a river of some sort that flowed throughout this current cavern chamber. How far down this was from that last chamber though, he had no clue, and none of the tunnels he had seen earlier seemed to come down this far, so how the hell was he supposed to make his way back up to the surface? He turned around, heading over towards the more central region of this cavern in hopes of finding some more tunnels or some sort of identifier to make this easier when he stopped dead in his tracks.

Treasure…! Mounds of treasure piled up so high it made his head spin. There was gold, silver, bars of precious ore, jewels, jewelry, highly ornate weaponry, fine silks and tapestries! There was so much treasure here, a fraction of this could feed every single citizen in Malkuth, rebuild their infrastructure, and secure their position as the dominant superpower! He rushed over to the nearest pile and got down onto his knees, his fingers sifting through the gold coins as he eyed them, finding all of them to be from completely different eras, many of which he failed to even recognize. How much would one of those coins be worth, let alone all of this?

A sinking feeling coiled up in the pit of his stomach when he realized that this was one of the classic, tell-tale signs of a dragon… He immediately dropped the coins he had been touching and backed off, taking several steps back as he redrew his weapon. He looked around quickly, taking careful steps to avoid touching any more of the treasure than he already had. Shit… shit, shit shit! If he made it out of this alive, he was going to wring Jade’s neck with his bare hands!

A shadow moved out of the corner of his eye and he spun around, blade raised and ready to strike at whatever may pounce but nothing was there. His heart rate began to speed up as his hands felt clammy… he _wasn’t_ alone…

Two steps backwards, scanning the area as fast as he could until he felt hot breath on his back and heard an unsettling hiss that filled the entire room. He spun around and froze, his eyes widening, mouth agape as he gasped for air.

Easily the size of a small cottage; scarlet and crimson save for flecks of gold here and there; unnaturally emerald eyes that bored into his very soul and made him feel completely insignificant. He was paralyzed. He couldn’t move, couldn’t scream, couldn’t do anything other than look at this terrifying monster from ages past! If there was still another dragon around then what the hell else was out there hiding from humanity?

The dragon’s eyes narrowed as it stared the knight down with a low growl that exposed sharp teeth, claws flexing in the mound of treasure. “You humans have a lot of nerve,” a deep, rough voice spoke, and Guy couldn’t believe his ears. “You are trespassing in my territory!”

Words. He would have expected snarling, roars, maybe some snapping, but words? He was completely dumbfounded. He didn’t hit his head when he fell through that pool did he? “I-I-“ Guy winced at the sound of his own voice, so meek and pitiful. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath, speaking up much louder with false bravado, “-I’m here to slay you!” The words left his mouth before his brain could register what he had just thrown at the dragon. His face then paled considerably.

The dragon reared its head back and Guy squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the worst. Instead of being burned alive, maimed, crushed, eaten, he heard… laughter? The dragon was laughing at him. Talk about a surprising blow to the self esteem there...

“Boy, you are hopelessly outmatched.” It spoke as if Guy wasn’t already painfully aware of this fact. “That little toothpick you're carrying there won't even scratch my hide, and it would be so incredibly easy to just eat you.” Guy’s hands started to tremble. “This isn't the first time your kind has encroached upon my territory, and I want it to be the last. So drop your weapon, turn around, and get out.” It snarled fiercely and Guy involuntarily took a couple steps backwards.

“Y-You're letting me go?” _Idiot-! Stop asking and just leave already!_

“On one condition,” it spoke as it cocked its head to one side, staring down at him in almost a condescending manner, “You tell the humans that have invaded my territory to get the hell out and never come back.” 

Guy then stammered for a moment.“I-… I can probably get my country’s troops to withdraw but there’s nothing I can do about Kimlasca’s- we’re at war!”

“That is not my problem. If the mountain pass is not cleared out by tomorrow night I will decimate both of your armies without hesitation. Have I made myself clear, human?” Guy nodded slowly, keeping his eyes trained on the dragon as he then lowered his weapon down onto the ground. He then raised his hands into the air to show he was still unarmed, and took several more steps back to put distance between them.

“O-okay, I’ll think of something.” His mouth had run dry again. The dragon eyed the human for a few more moments, and then, seemingly satisfied, it turned around and began to walk off, many of the treasure piles spilling out onto the ground with each step the dragon took.

Guy’s knees gave out on him and he collapsed to the ground, clutching his abdomen tightly as he then proceeded to vomit the contents of his stomach out rather violently, the stress of the situation finally catching up with him. Thank the Seven he had been so horribly dehydrated earlier or it would have been very likely he’d have pissed his pants, too. It took a few moments to collect himself but he managed, getting back up onto his feet where he pushed forwards, leaving both his weapon and his dignity behind.

It took him over an hour to work his way back out of the cave and never had he more been so glad to see the light of day. He ran out into the open where the sunlight positively blinded him, feeling the intense heat seeping into his skin. He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, shakily, feeling his nerves finally steadying after such a harrowing experience, but now was not the time to stop. It would be a half day’s walk back to the military encampment without his horse, and he did not have the time to waste if they were to evacuate the mountain pass by tomorrow night. Luckily for him, about two and a half hours into his walk back, the scouting team could be seen just ahead where they had found his horse and had been looking for him.

It was late into the evening by the time Guy had finally made it back to the military encampment. Many of his fellow soldiers were clustered together around some scattered fires with their meals, telling stories to pass the time. He ignored them as he headed directly for the colonel’s tent at the far end of camp, not even bothering to announce himself as he barged in.

“-Colonel,” Guy said as the man looked up from his paperwork with a look of mild surprise on his face.

“You look like you've just been dragged through hell and back,” the man observed aloud, but Guy was in absolutely no mood. He marched right over to Jade’s desk and slammed his palms down hard on the wood.

“What the hell were you thinking sending me off by myself!?” he nearly shouted. “A handful of soldiers, a scout or two- hell, I would have taken a single squire if it meant that I didn’t have to face off against that damned beast alone!”

“So there really is a dragon here then.” He muttered to himself before looking back to Guy. “Or, should I say was?”

“You’re dreaming if you think I could kill that thing on my own. We would need all of our best men and even then we would only have a fifty percent chance with a ninety percent mortality rate!” 

Jade raised his brows.“I’d like to see your math on that one-“

“Damnit, Jade! This isn’t the time! The only reason it even let me walk out of there alive was to tell you to evacuate our troops out of its territory. If we’re not out of here by tomorrow night, it’s going to kill everyone!”

“You act as if I hold the authority to authorize a withdrawal, Gailardia.” he stated coldly and Guy blinked, looking confused.

“You’d rather risk a dragon raining fire down on our heads than upsetting military command?” he balked, absolutely astounded by this man’s inability to see reason.

“I know that we simply do not have the time to withdraw from the mountain range completely and it would be stupid to even try. With this many people and supplies, it’d take us at least three days to pack everything and get everyone moving safely. If we do leave our supplies behind, we’re two weeks away from Kaitzur. Our best course of action is stay here and ready our defenses and prepare for the worst.” Guy shook his head. Unbelievable. This man was absolutely insane. Guy grit his teeth but didn’t say anything further, letting out a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes and resigned from the argument. He backed off, saluted his superior, and exited the tent.

They were going to be in for one hell of a battle tomorrow.

He returned to his tent where he removed his armor and changed out of his clothes into a fresh uniform, glad to at least no longer be stuck in previously waterlogged garments that had dried uncomfortably. He then took a seat on the edge of his cot, resting his head in his hands where he tried to process the day’s events. A dragon… a gods damned dragon of all possible things. He would have gladly taken on that bear he had thought about earlier, at least then he had a fair chance at succeeding, but a dragon? His stomach then growled loudly as a gnawing hunger pained his side. Oh, right, he hasn't had anything in his stomach for several hours now. He pushed himself up to his feet and exited the tent, wandering over to the makeshift mess hall where a cook was handing out bowls of boar stew. Same thing every night, since boars seemed to be the only good source of meat to be found around in the mountain pass.

Bowl in hand, Guy wandered off over towards one of the campfires that had fewer soldiers crowded around it. He needed the warmth, but gods, right now he just didn’t want to talk to anyone.

The meat was overcooked and tough, and the spices tasted like they had expired two months ago. He chewed slowly, reaching for his roll of bread but found that it had gone stale and rock hard. Why did military food have to be so disgusting? He set the bowl down in his lap and sighed, staring off into the fire and watching as it crackled and sparked, gaze lost in the flames. Well, at least the fire was soothing.

“- There you are, you lying, two-faced brat!” a very loud, angry voice shouted from the other side of the camp, drawing the attention of several soldiers. A young man, dressed in fine clothing of silks and velvets with a hood covering his head stood, in his arms was a long object swathed with colorful fabric. Many of the soldiers stood up and clamored amongst one another, unsure of who it was. A few went so far as to try and intercept him, but the young man pushed past and stormed across the campground until he stood just before Guy. “You think you’re so smart? You think that you can make me look like a fool?! I should kill you right now!” he shouted, throwing the swathed item down at Guy with force and then punched him square across the jaw.

“-Hey!” A nearby soldier reached out and snatched hold of his arm, twisting it up behind his back. Another grabbed his hood and pulled, revealing the most striking red hair any of them had ever seen.

“Oh shit! It’s a Kimlascan! Someone go get the colonel!” A soldier shouted as a few of the now gathered crowd ran off. The redhead kicked his leg backwards and shattered the knee of the soldier that had grabbed his arm, pulling free from his grasp as the soldier dropped down to the ground screaming. The redhead lunged forwards to grab hold of Guy’s collar.

“What the hell did you do to me?!” he snarled, and Guy found himself completely at a loss for words. He didn’t recognize this kid, one who looked of Kimlascan nobility- King Ingobert’s son perhaps? No, he never had a son if he could recall properly. Guy had never met a Kimlascan in his life but… his eyes moved down to the bundle of cloth in his lap and he pulled a corner off to see that familiar hilt. His eyes then snapped back up to look at that inhumanly vivid emerald that had been staring him down mere hours ago.

“That’s… That’s not possible…!” he stammered, finding himself completely at a loss for words.

“What in blazes is going on out here!?” Jade’s voice cut in as he and even more Malkuth soldiers came trotting out to the source of the commotion. The redhead had gone in to throw another punch at the blond, but a nearby soldier tackled into him and forced him down onto the ground where the intruder was kept pinned with his weight.

“Get off of me!” the redhead yelled, thrashing violently beneath the soldier as Jade walked up to him. It took one look down at the redhead before he promptly turned to Guy and noticed the sword half bundled in his lap.

“I want the both of you in my tent, now.” he barked, pivoting on the balls of his feet to turn around and then walk off towards his tent. Guy brought a hand up to rub his jaw, feeling some minor swelling starting to develop as he looked down at the redhead, then to the sword in his lap.

It was just an old heirloom… right?

Guy grabbed hold of his family’s sword and stood up, looking down at the redhead who was being aggressively manhandled by the soldier who had pinned him down. “Get up onto your feet, you brat!” the soldier spat as the redhead continued to snarl.

“I swear I will kill you all!” He stamped his foot on the ground repeatedly, still trying to worm his way out of their grasp. What an absolute disaster... 

Jade was waiting for them in his tent rather impatiently with his arms crossed. Guy was the first to arrive, setting the sword down over by the desk as the tent flaps then opened up, a couple of the Malkuth soldiers practically throwing the redhead in. “Sir! Do you need our help?” one of them asked, and Jade shook his head.

“I can handle it from here. Dismissed.” he ordered and they saluted, disappearing back outside of the tent. The redhead was glaring fiercely at the both of them, clutching his left arm tightly as his shoulders heaved. “What on Auldrant do we have here?” he asked casually as those emerald eyes locked onto the blond.

“Undo it! Whatever the hell it is you did to me, undo it right this instant!” he demanded with a yell, and Guy involuntarily took a step backwards, at a loss for what to do.

“I- I didn’t do anything!” he stammered but the redhead snapped.

“Bullshit!” he thrust his left palm upwards for him to see. An unsightly scar of seared flesh stretched out across the entirety of his palm, with the surrounding skin bright red and purple. “That _thing_ did this! All I did was touch it and-” there was a sickening sound of flesh sizzling and the redhead screamed, collapsing down to his knees as the mark spread out just a bit further across his hand. “It hurts…!” he was whimpering now, eyes tightly shut as he clutched his arm, waiting for the pain to abate. Guy’s gaze immediately went to the sword and he picked it up, looking at it with a mix of fear and awe. 

“The Jewel of Gardios.” Guy turned to look at Jade as he spoke. “Forged from refined silverlite, ground dragon’s tooth, and sealed with cursed dragon’s blood. The legendary weapon created to bind and slay dragons.” Across the tent, green eyes looked up at the man with sheer terror.

“That thing is the Jewel?! K-Keep it away from me!” He tried to scramble backwards, but the mark started to spread out once more and he yelled out in agony. A ghost of a smirk came to Jade’s face.

“Have Gailardia cry onto that. Virgin tears can heal a dragon’s wounds,” he stated. Before Guy could even question how he could possibly know that, or know that he was still a virgin, the redhead used his good hand to promptly throw an impressive blow with force into the blond’s abdomen. He was completely winded in an instant, and he staggered back gasping for air, his eyes watering up from the pain. Two tears rolled down his cheeks. The redhead pressed his scarred palm up against Guy’s face, and where the tears came into contact with the burned skin, there was the sound of hissing.

The redhead gasped and took in stuttered breaths, his hand trembling as he withdrew it from the blond. He looked at his palm and saw the skin beginning to clear up, and while the red and purple skin returned to a normal colour, that hideous scar still remained. The important thing was that the pain had finally ceased, and the redhead could take deep breaths, relaxing for just a few moments.

“W-warn me the next time you’re going to do that…!” Guy wheezed, clutching his abdomen as he tried to regain his own breath. Twice now he’d been punched by this damned dragon- and he was edging very close to returning the favor just out of spite.

“This is very entertaining,” Jade stated and Guy shot him a dirty look.

“Not helping, Jade!” he barked as the man then laughed.

“I’m curious though,” Jade stepped forwards towards the dragon-turned-human, though he kept his gaze on the sword that seemed to be the cause of this all. “What exactly happened earlier?”

“I was sleeping, then that stupid human woke me up just like those other ones did two years ago!” the redhead spat, still breathing somewhat hard, “I told him to drop his weapon and leave, or otherwise I’d kill all of you. When he left, I was curious about the sword so I grabbed it- it burned through my scales!”

“And turned you into this?” Jade raised his brows.

“I can shapeshift on my own but that thing… it forced it on me! I can’t change back!” Jade blinked, bringing a hand up to cup his chin as he went into thought for a moment.

“So, it looks like we won’t be needing to worry about retreat after all then.” The redhead’s eyes widened.

“Y-You can’t do that!” he yelled, forcing himself back up onto his feet. “This is _my_ territory!”

“There is literally nothing you can do to stop us.” Jade replied harshly and the redhead winced. “You don’t seem to fully comprehend the predicament you’re in. The sword has sealed you. You have no power, and for all intents and purposes, you’re human now, just like everyone else here. You’re outnumbered, exhausted, and I can hear your stomach growling from here. You are in absolutely no position to be making demands of any kind.” The redhead was staring at this man with fear in his eyes. This was just a nightmare… just a really bad, vivid nightmare that he’d wake up from soon, right?

“This… This is my home! You can’t _do_ this!”

“I can and will. We have our orders from his Imperial Majesty that we must carry out without fail.” The redhead grit his teeth.

“Like I give a damn about your stupid wars!” he shouted, moving to take a step forwards but his vision blurred and head felt light, causing him to misstep into the blond.

“We can give you food and shelter,” Jade then went on to say as he brought his hands around behind his back. “You just have to do a few things for us.”

“We’re letting him stay here?” Guy rasped a little, still working on getting his breath back. “You sure that’s a good idea?” Jade was about to speak but the redhead cut in too quickly.

“I’m not participating in your childish games, human.” The redhead snorted as Jade sighed.

“Suit yourself. Though if you do decide that you don’t want to starve, there will be a bowl of stew waiting for you if you play your part.” The redhead looked confused. “Your hair and eyes mark you as a prominent member of nobility of the enemy nation. Every soldier outside of this tent thinks you’re the enemy. Put on a uniform, and say you have defected to our cause. It will not only provide you with cover, but grant a serious morale boost to the troops. Do that, play your part, and you can have some stew and a cot to sleep on.” The redhead looked between both the men in the tent, apprehension and confusion clear on his face before his stomach then growled loudly.

This was such a wound to his pride. “...Where are the uniforms?” he dropped his gaze to the ground, feeling absolutely humiliated. Jade turned and headed over to a small chest next to his cot, rummaging around inside until he pulled out a spare uniform, handing it to the redhead. The redhead frowned a bit when he felt the material, cheap, rough fabric, though at this point he had no room to really complain about something like that.

“Is there a name that we can call you by?” Jade asked as the redhead sighed, looking up at the both of them.

“Revak’Yolus… though, you can call me Luke...”


	3. Adjustments

Guy brought a hand up to run his fingers through his hair, trying to set the already ruffled mess into some semblance of neatness, though it was really nothing more than an anxious habit. This entire situation was a complete disaster, and there seemed to be absolutely nothing that could be done about it, at least to their immediate knowledge. His eyes glanced back at the family sword and he frowned… a blade to bind and slay dragons… Surely there was someway to unbind dragons, right? He then glanced back over to Luke, the young man- dragon, was looking down at the uniform in his hands with obvious distaste on his face. How the hell was he supposed to pull off being a defected noble that was whole-heartedly supporting their cause? He wore his emotions on his sleeves!

“I’ll give you some time to change,” Jade excused himself from the tent, leaving Guy and Luke alone with each other. Guy suddenly felt incredibly awkward standing there. What should he do, what should he say? 

“I, uh… I’d heard rumors about my family’s sword but I never…” Green eyes narrowed in annoyance. “Er-… I’m just, I’m sorry.” Luke then blinked, and looked over at the blond knight with confusion clear in his expression. “This was all completely an accident, I didn’t know. Didn’t mean to… Look, we’ll make this work, okay?” he was trying so hard to be sincere, but all Luke did was snort arrogantly.

“Make this work.” He rolled his eyes, turning around so he had his back to Guy as he once again looked down at the uniform. “…I don’t even understand why you’re apologizing. I did threaten to kill you and your army multiple times,” he pointed out and Guy weakly laughed, dropping his gaze to the floor.

“Well, if strangers invaded my home I think I’d be rightfully upset about it and try to protect it.” Sounds of shuffling fabric made him look over to see Luke pulling his tunic off. Guy cleared his throat awkwardly and moved to turn away, but found himself staring at a series of large red scars akin to claw marks that traveled downwards and across Luke’s back, stretching around over towards his left hip. Gods, that must have been excruciatingly painful… Guy quickly snapped himself out of it and exited the tent, trying to give Luke a bit of privacy, only to find a bunch of his fellow soldiers gathered around, looking at him expectantly. “Ah… Can I help you?” he asked, looking around at all of them.

“So what the hell was that all about?” one of the soldiers spoke up as several others voiced their similar questions. He raised his hands, trying to placate them when the flap to the tent opened up and Luke stepped out, wearing the uniform with his hair braided and draped over his shoulder. He stopped and looked out at all of them, eyes scanning the crowd with a cold, and slightly calculating gaze.

One soldier stepped forwards and purposefully blocked Luke’s path, a condescending sneer on his face. “Swear your allegiance to his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Peony Upala Malkuth IX!” he outright demanded, and many of the other soldiers jeered at the redhead.

“I am of the Lanvaldear bloodline,” Luke stated loudly, silencing all of them in an instant, “Tertiary heir to the throne. I renounce my bloodline and my title, and swear my allegiance to his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Peony Upala Malkuth IX.” He then dropped down to one knee and bowed his head, placing a hand over his heart. “What Kimlasca is doing is wrong, but they refuse to listen to reason.” He then stood back up. Some of the soldiers didn’t look too convinced.

“What about all the shit you were yelling when you came here?” one soldier said, cocking his head and crossing his arms. Guy blinked and stepped forward, clapping a hand on Luke’s shoulder as the blond weakly laughed.

“You try crossing hostile enemy territory without going a little crazy.” Internally he was wincing at himself; that was such a weak excuse. But, it seemed to do the trick, and that was what was important. He started to walk, pulling Luke along with him to lead him away from the gathered crowd. “Impressive acting,” he mumbled, and Luke scoffed.

“I just did what needed to be done.” He shrugged his shoulder out of Guy’s grasp. Luke looked up ahead and found Jade standing over by one of the fires, a bowl of stew in hand with a hard roll in the other. He made a beeline for the man, and Guy found himself running to keep up with him.

“Masterfully done,” Jade said with an amused grin as he handed Luke the bowl of stew, a grin that actually unnerved Luke a little. He accepted the bowl eagerly, but he did then try to put a bit of distance between himself and the colonel, not entirely trusting him. “You’ll fit in just fine here if you keep that up.”

“Thank you,” Luke said through grit teeth, not at all happy he had to play by this human’s rules. Jade walked off back towards his tent, but Luke paid him no heed as he took a seat next to the flames and hungrily dug in.

Dry, overcooked meat covered in an over-spiced slop, Luke grimaced as he looked down at the bowl and tried his best to chew. “This is disgusting.” He muttered and Guy nodded slowly.

“Yeah… yeah, that’s military food for you.” Guy said, taking a seat just a little ways away by the fire. “But the hunters are working hard to try and provide for us. This area is really not the most hospitable of environments.” 

“The wolves have good meat, but they’re kind of hard to find this time of year,” Luke said with a half shrug, forcing himself to take another bite. “Ugh… if this wasn’t my first meal in over two centuries I would not put up with eating this… whatever this is.” He frowned, setting the bowl down onto the dirt.

“Two centuries?” Guy quirked his brows at that. “How can anything live for that long without food?”

“I was hibernating,” Luke replied dully, grabbing the bread roll and biting into it, finding it to be equally as tough and disappointing as the stew. “I had planned to sleep for a few more decades before getting up, but you humans and your stupid wars interfered with that,” he muttered bitterly.

“How old are you, exactly?”

“Seven thousand four hundred ninety-eight years, eleven months, thirteen days, eighteen hours and twenty-seven minutes.” Guy was flabbergasted that Luke knew his age down to the very minute. How many human lifetimes was that? Just what kind of knowledge did this dragon hold within him from a life so vast and expansive?

“Then, why do you look so much younger than me? You look no older than eighteen like this.” Luke then laughed.

“At ten thousand I’ll be fully mature. I’m still growing, hence the necessary hibernation that you humans interrupted.” He shot a bit of a glare at Guy over his shoulder. Guy weakly chuckled, scooting back a bit as he averted his gaze elsewhere.

“...I have a question-“ he spoke up after a few moments but Luke scoffed.

“Humans and their insatiable curiosity... What is it?”

“You said your name was Re… Revah-“

“Revak’Yolus,” Luke corrected as Guy nodded.

“Yeah, that. Where did you get the name Luke from? It sounds nothing like that.” he asked and Luke sighed heavily.

“In the common tongue, my name translates into ‘Sacred Flame’. The name ‘Luke’ has a very similar meaning in Ancient Ispanian, and is much more... mortal sounding.” Luke fell silent after that, contemplating a few things before he jabbed his hand out and stuck it directly into the flames. Guy gasped and scrambled over, reaching to pull Luke’s hand out before he got seriously hurt but found that Luke wasn’t yelling in pain, or really affected by the fire at all. Luke withdrew his hand after a few moments and looked at it, seeing the skin a bit reddened by the heat, but overall unaffected. “Tch… my resistance to fire’s been greatly reduced…” he muttered to himself.

“You were immune to fire?” Guy gawked.

“I’m a fire dragon; a master pyromancer.” Guy looked thoroughly impressed. “…Was. I doubt I can use any magic like this.” His shoulders sagged a bit as he picked that bowl of stew up, taking a couple more bites. Now Guy just felt guilty…

“Look, I’m sure there’s some way out there that’ll break this binding on you. This was partially-“

“-Completely-“ Luke jammed in.

“-My fault and therefore my responsibility. I really didn’t appreciate your threats earlier,” he rubbed the back of his neck, remembering the rush of adrenaline, the fear that iced his veins over and paralyzed him as he was certain death was staring him right in the face, “but, I know that this isn’t right and you’re a victim here. So, I’ll try and find a way to help you break this,” he said, holding his hand out to the redhead. Luke eyed him up and down for a moment skeptically, before he relented with a sigh and met him halfway, giving his hand a shake.

“Alright, fine.” he then let go of Guy’s hand and went back to forcing himself to down his rather awful meal, the two of them falling into a bit of a comfortable silence. It was peaceful, listening to the fire crackle next to them, hearing the distant chatter of soldiers in the background until Luke suddenly looked _very_ worried and abruptly stood up. “My hoard!” he exclaimed loudly.

“Your… hoard?” he asked as Luke nodded, looking down at him.

“I’m not there to guard it anymore! Any of your soldiers, or Kimlasca’s, could find it and take it!” Guy was a bit surprised to see just how genuinely worried Luke was about this.

“I- We can’t go back to get all of it but maybe we could seal off the cave? Nobody would be able to get to it and I’m sure you’d be able to once this binding is broken,” he suggested and Luke quirked a brow at him.

“Seal the cave? How?”

“I’m sure I could requisition some explosives.” Guy offered with a small smile, “If placed at the right positions, the charges could cause a partial cave in and block any access. Problem solved.” A look of relief flooded Luke’s face, and he slowly nodded, taking his seat again. “That treasure of yours means a lot to you, huh?” Luke nodded once more. “There was an awful lot of it. I didn’t even recognize half the coins that were in there.”

“You were probably looking at coins from the Zao Empire then. I have a lot of treasure from that time period; it was easy pickings once the empire collapsed.” He took another bite of his roll and Guy looked intrigued.

“You were there, how exactly did it collapse? The Order states that they were unfaithful to the gods and were punished for it.” Luke shook his head.

“More like a massive monsoon coupled with a tidal wave flooded the entire area and killed everyone. Then it drained out over the course of a couple hundred years and it turned into that desert. They could have angered Undine in some way to bring her wrath down upon them, but I’m not a water dragon so I wouldn’t know.” He shrugged as he finished up his roll and then stood back up, stretching himself out. “I’m exhausted. Where can I sleep?”

“Hm? Oh! You can use the cot in my tent, I’ve got a spare bedroll,” Guy stood up and took a moment to dust off. “It’s this way.” He started to walk off, and Luke followed along behind him closely.

It was a fairly decent sized tent, larger than the others, with nicer amenities. Luke found himself looking at everything within and then looking back to Guy. Gardios was the name of a noble family in Malkuth, so it made sense that Guy here got some extra perks. But still, Jade risking one of Malkuth’s own nobility up against a dragon? Something really just didn’t sit right with him about that man but he just couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“Here you go,” Guy spoke up and snapped Luke out of his thoughts. It wasn’t a bed of treasure, but silken sheets made for a noble was the next best thing in this kind of situation. He took a seat on the edge and lazily kicked his boots off into a messy heap on the floor, not particularly caring about keeping things neat and tidy. Guy frowned at this, but refrained from saying anything as he himself started to prepare for bed. “We gotta get up pretty early if we’re going to be doing this tomorrow-“ Luke then whined, flopping over onto his side as he pulled the sheets over his head.

“You humans just won’t let me sleep, will you?” he asked, exasperated.

“Do you want your hoard protected or not?” Luke nodded. “Then we’re going tomorrow morning.” Honestly, was this _really_ the same terrifying creature that had been threatening to kill him? He was acting like a spoiled child.

Guy wandered over to his chest and set his boots in, and then pulled out a small metal contraption that he started to wind up. Luke sat up and cocked his head to the side, looking at it with intrigue. “What is that?”

“This? It’s a device I made in my spare time. You wind it up to the desired time you want to wake up and then it rings until you turn it off.” Luke looked at the device and then frowned.

“Sounds irritating.”

“Sounds useful,” Guy corrected him, setting the device down on top of the chest. “Get some sleep.” he said as he rolled out his bedroll.

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Luke muttered, settling down on the cot.

_Gnome Redecan, Remday 19 N.D 2018,_

High pitched ringing woke Guy up with a mild start, the young man groaning as he sat up, back just a bit stiff from having slept on the hard ground rather than his cot the whole night. He took a moment to stretch, a few joints popping loudly before he stood up, wandering over to the chest to shut the little mechanical device off. “Mm, ‘morning…” he mumbled sleepily, running a hand through his hair. He looked over to the cot and found Luke to be in a rather deep slumber, completely unaffected by the loud ringing of his contraption. “Hey, Luke.” He stepped over to the cot’s side and placed a hand on to Luke’s shoulder, giving him a firm but gentle shake.

In an instant, Guy found himself pinned to the floor of his tent, Luke on top of him with his hands wrapped around his throat. Luke blinked and then scoffed loudly. “Fantastic way to get yourself killed there, Guy,” he said as he released him and got off.

Guy sat up, coughing, “Yeah well, you weren’t waking up.” He stood back up and rubbed his throat. “Come on. We need to get ready to leave.”

“Six hours is not adequate sleep!” Luke complained, combing fingers through his rather knotted hair.

“Do you want your hoard sitting around unprotected? I thought we already went over this. You’re going to have to adjust to a human time schedule for a while. Sorry for the inconvenience.” Guy spat, becoming thoroughly annoyed with Luke’s petulant, child-like behavior.

“Do you ever shut up?” Luke asked in annoyance, rolling his eyes. His stomach then growled loudly and he pursed his lips. “Breakfast first, then we take care of my hoard.” He moved to exit the tent, but when he passed by a small mirror that had been attached to one of Guy’s tent posts, Luke caught a glimpse of just how terrible his bedhead was. He groaned, looking over at Guy. “Judging by your hair, I doubt you even own a brush.”

“I have a comb,” Guy corrected, pulling it out of his pack and handing it to him. Luke gladly accepted and went straight to work on taming his mane. “Mm, I’ll see if the colonel will let us borrow a couple of the horses, too. It’ll make the trip that much faster,” he said, looking over his shoulder to watch Luke attend to his appearance meticulously. “…Last night, you said that you could shapeshift at will. Can you control your appearance or is this just what you look like?”

“No, I can’t. This is what I look like,” he set the comb down, now working on braiding his hair back up. “Only a dragon gifted in illusion magic can change their appearance at will, and my school of talent is destruction, not illusion. We can take on a couple of different forms though. It really depends where you were hatched and what the local populace was at the time, so I also have an elven form,” he said without thinking and Guy’s eyes widened.

“Elves?! I’d heard about them in stories but I didn’t realize that they had actually been real!” he said excitedly and Luke abruptly stopped fiddling with his hair.

Fuck... He had just said _way_ too much… 

Luke looked over his shoulder at Guy with a deep set scowl on his face and Guy took several steps back, greatly surprised by his reaction. Luke turned on his heels and stalked towards Guy, shoving the comb into his hands before exiting the tent in a hurry, leaving Guy stunned, wondering just what in the hell had happened…

Guy snapped himself out of it and tossed the comb aside, hurrying out after Luke, finding him heading off towards the line of soldiers waiting to get their food. Several of the soldiers took notice of the redhead’s presence, and the whispers started to erupt. Oh no… Guy started to jog to catch up with him.

Luke stood in line patiently, clutching a metal tray, ignoring everyone around him that thought it was appropriate to gossip about him right in front of him. Humans were so painfully stupid… By the time he got to the front of the line, Luke could see the menu and found it to look far more appetizing than last night’s slop. More boar meat- braised, with biscuits and poached axe beak eggs. He held his tray out to the cook, who then took one look at him and then scoffed, ignoring him to tend to the cooking food. Luke’s patience was beginning to wear dangerously thin. “Excuse me,” he spoke but the cook shot him a rather nasty glare,

“I ain’t serving no Kimlascan inbred,” the cook spat, and several of the soldiers behind him started to snicker. His grip on his tray tightened as Guy had finally caught up to him, which Luke took immediate notice of.

“Gailardia. Get this man to give me my damn breakfast before I go over there and snap his neck with my bare hands.” he said in as calm and collected a voice as possible, which was completely unnerving to Guy and a few of the other soldiers who then promptly took several steps away from him.

“Ah, Luke it’s not nice to threaten people…” Guy tried to talk him down before looking over to the cook. “Please, just give us our breakfasts and we’ll be out of your hair-“ the cook shoved two plates to Guy without bothering to look at Luke.

“NEXT!” he called out loudly, and Luke rolled his eyes, grabbing a plate from Guy and putting it on his tray.

“Hinzaal, hefahus, nid hahlor mun... Zu'u fen frist'mok1...." Luke spat under his breath as the two of them walked away from the line. "Zu'u vaat Zu'u fen naak enook laat gein do'hi2-" He had been so absorbed in being angry and spitting out curses to those around him, he failed to notice one of the soldiers in line stuck his foot out directly in Luke's path. The redhead collided with the boot, and tripped forwards onto the ground, the tray of food splattering. Half the soldiers around them snickered quite audibly, and the whispers kicked up again.

“Oops. you need to watch where you’re going.”  
“Yeah, what a total waste of supplies!”  
“Go clean up that mess, scrub!” the soldiers taunted.

Luke exhaled sharply as he pulled himself up onto his knees, starting to pick up the food with his hands which he placed back on the tray. He then stood, facing the man that had tripped him and gave him the best smile he could muster.

“Oh sorry, my mistake.” He then proceeded to dump the food onto the soldier’s head before bashing his face with the tray.

“LUKE-!” Guy yelled reaching out to grab him but Luke then pounced on the man, repeatedly punching him in the face.

“You have a problem with me then say it to my face!” Luke shouted angrily as the soldier brought up his hands to break Luke’s offense.

“YOU LITTLE-“ The man lunged forwards and tackled into Luke’s abdomen, sending him flying backwards into the ground where he pinned Luke there. “-KIMLASCAN INBRED!” the man shouted angrily, throwing a right hook into Luke’s jaw.

“DUZIIR MUN-! ZU’U FEN OBLAAN’HI! 3” Luke head-butted the man square in the nose, breaking it rather badly.

“LUKE!” Guy grabbed hold of the redhead’s shoulder and pulled him away from the soldier who was now wailing loudly as blood poured from his face. “Back off! Both of you!” he yelled.

“He broke my nose!” the soldier cried out as Luke pulled himself up to his feet and spit a bit of blood out onto the dirt.

“Yeah and I broke that bastard’s knee yesterday for twisting my arm! Do not test me, huma-“

“LUKE.” Guy forcibly put himself between the two of them, glaring the redhead down. Luke grit his teeth, hands clenched up into fists, but he swallowed his anger and backed off, directing his gaze elsewhere as Guy tried to placate the situation. It didn’t help that a soldier then ran over, and stood at attention.

“You and the Kimlascan are being summoned to the Colonel’s tent immediately.” she said and Guy groaned. Oh gods, they were going to get into so much trouble because of Luke’s bad temper! Guy grabbed Luke by the arm and dragged him along, ignoring the boy’s protests and struggles to break free.

“Next time, try not to fall into whatever language that was,” Guy said sternly, opening the flap to the tent and pulling Luke inside. Jade was sitting as his desk, glancing up at them.

“I hear there was fighting,” he said looking to Luke and the redhead then went rigid stiff, positively freezing in place the moment he looked at the colonel. “What happened?”

“I’m sorry, sir. The other soldiers aren’t very happy to have Luke here, and Luke’s quick temper set things off. He broke Jensen’s nose...”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. And you broke Marshal’s knee yesterday, too. Luke, you are doing a terrible job at playing your part here.” he sighed heavily, shaking his head.

“I guess it would be inappropriate to ask you for a favor right now, then…” Guy sighed, carding a hand through his hair.

“It would, but I’m not without mercy. What is it?”

“I’d like to requisition a set of explosives and a couple of horses-“

“You may not blow up the horses, Gailardia.” Jade cut in and Guy blinked.

“What- no! What on Auldrant gave you that idea? We wanted to go and seal off his cave to protect his hoard!” Jade was chuckling.

“I’ll grant you permission on one condition,” he said, eyes looking over to Luke who had paled considerably. “I received a missive from His Majesty in the night requesting that I go to Daath to petition the church for aid. I doubt Divine Ion will wish to interfere with our kingdom’s petty squabbles but, orders are orders. I don’t trust leaving you here even with Guy watching you, so the both of you are coming with me.”

“We… we’re going to Daath? That’s on the other side of the planet, it’ll take at least a month to get there! Travel by ship has been severely restricted because of the war. Besides, who would be in charge here?” Guy asked.

“Brigadier General Frings just returned from Kaitzur this morning. He will resume command of this outpost. I set off tomorrow before dawn. Agree to accompany, and I’ll allow you the explosives and horses.”

“Well, alright.” Guy looked over to Luke, finding him to be shaking. “L-Luke?” he asked, watching beads of sweat roll down the side of his face.

“H-how…?” Luke finally spoke up, his voice hardly audible. Jade raised a brow at him. -“Fahvos… fahvos drey Zu'u n’i mindrus hi?4” his voice trembled, actually trembled and Guy now found himself increasingly worried.

Jade only smirked, looking Luke directly in the eyes. “Make sure to come back in one piece,” he said in a voice that sent shivers down the redhead’s spine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Stupid, idiotic, brainless man. I will eat him.  
> 2 I swear, I will eat every last one of the-  
> 3 Insolent human! I will end you!  
> 4 How? How did I not recognize you?


	4. Avarice

The conversation was over, so Guy thanked the colonel for his agreement to their requisitions, grabbed hold of Luke’s arm, and pulled him out of the tent to take him aside. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked, trying to figure out what in the hell had just happened. In the whole two minutes they had been in that tent, Luke had frozen in place and all the color drained away from his face. “Luke-“

“-Just… Nothing, okay,” Luke managed to mutter, brushing Guy’s hand off of his shoulder to turn away. Guy frowned, not liking that Luke wouldn’t talk to him because something _clearly_ had him upset… particularly about the colonel. Which, if Luke had just disliked the man then Guy couldn’t blame him because there were definitely things about Jade that were off-putting and downright unnerving, but to have _that_ strong a reaction, something just wasn’t right. He dropped the subject though, Luke obviously did not want to talk about it, and he had only really met the dragon yesterday… and they weren’t exactly on the greatest terms with each other… It made sense that Luke wouldn’t want to confide in him at all. Ever.

Luke moved away from Guy, taking deep and calming breaths, and wandered over toward the horses tied to wooden posts on the far side of camp. When he approached, the horses started to nervously whinny, backing away as far as their reins would allow. “Easy-… Easy,” Luke slowed and lowered his stance, raising his hands to show he wasn’t a threat but the horses flared their nostrils and neighed loudly, bucking rather wildly as they tried to get away from the approaching predator. “H-Hey! I’m not here to eat you!” he said rather angrily, taking slight offense to their behavior. It’s not like he _could_ even eat them like this anyways. Some soldiers who had been watching the scene from afar started to guffaw rather audibly, enough for Luke to overhear and he scowled. Gods be damned, he hated everyone here.

“Looks like they know he’s inbred scum too!”  
“That’s just embarrassing!” they laughed.

Oh, Luke was in absolutely _no_ mood for this. He sprang forwards, grabbing one of the horse’s reins with one hand as he used his forward momentum to step up into the stirrup and sit in the saddle. When secured on the horse’s back, he tightly yanked the reins to reel the animal back in line. “You _will_ behave yourself!” Luke hissed, the horse obeying now that the predator was no longer in it’s immediate line of sight.

Guy approached the horses shortly after with a couple of large saddle bags filled with sets of explosives slung over his shoulder. He loaded them up onto his horse and then untied his and Luke’s horse from the posts. “You ready?” he asked, stepping up into the stirrup. “It’s about a two hour ride to that cave of yours,” he pointed out as Luke laughed.

“I know this mountain pass like the back of my hand. Let’s just go,” he said with an annoyed sigh, digging his heels into the side of the horse.

Even for an experienced rider like Guy, this was no easy terrain to ride on. Rough, rocky, the horse beneath him was constantly shifting him into rather painful positions. It hadn’t been as bad yesterday, but today was just painful considering how sore his muscles were as a result of yesterday’s ordeals. He tried to adjust himself into a more comfortable position, taking a moment to look over at Luke and finding that he looked perfectly content to riding over such unforgiving ground. “Here’s what I don’t understand,” Guy started up the conversation, “you’re a dragon, and you know how to ride horseback.”

“And?” Luke asked in a slightly annoyed voice.

“Well… where did you learn? When did you learn?” Guy shrugged as Luke rolled his eyes.

“I’ve been alive for over seven thousand years, Gailardia. That’s more than enough time to learn a lot of things.” Guy didn’t look quite satisfied with that answer and Luke groaned. Humans were just so damn _curious_ about everything! “Part of maturing from whelp to drake is spending fifty years living amongst mortals and keeping cover. You blend in, learn things, gain valuable survival skills.” Guy’s eyes widened.

“You lived among humans?!” Why did Guy sound so excited by that prospect? Luke huffed and shook his head, wondering just what exactly he did to be saddled with this absolute nag of a human.

“Yes, when I was seven hundred. It’s something every dragon does. It’s what most dragons _do_ ,” he muttered, gripping the reins tightly as he looked down at the horse.

“What do you mean by that? There aren’t anymore dragons besides you.” Luke then snorted loudly, somewhat startling his horse which he promptly had to rein back into line.

“I am not the last dragon, trust me.” he said bitterly, his eyes narrowing a bit. “When humanity decided that hunting us for sport was a good idea to be pursued, many assumed human identities to ensure their safety. You’ve met a dragon before, you just don’t know it yet.”

“That’s so…” Surreal to think about, he wanted to say, but the reality of the matter was that Luke’s words were entirely depressing. A powerful, ancient race with immense wisdom having to run away and hide because of humans… humans like his ancestor… humans like him… Oh, that really didn’t feel too good. His gaze fell down to the family sword and he had to wonder just how it had come into his family’s possession, a sword made to bind and kill dragons…

_Rem… if only Mary had still been alive…_

The rest of the ride was spent in a rather tense, uncomfortable silence. The only words spoken after that exchange were Luke giving Guy directions for the shortcut to his cave. Rather than the full two hours it only took an hour and fifteen minutes, though it was at the expense of a _very_ steep hill that left the horses exhausted. It was just after sunrise and already the temperature in the mountain pass was steadily heating up. 

The two of them dismounted at a tree that was just a bit past Luke’s cave so that the horses couldn’t run off this time. Guy grabbed the saddle bags full of explosives while Luke stood at the mouth of the cave, crestfallen; an expression that made Guy’s stomach twist itself up into a painful knot.

Luke was rude, childish, aggressive, quick to violence and threats… but for one of his kind, he wasn’t even fully mature yet. He was the victim in all of this, and despite the seeming living hell Luke could turn Guy’s life into from time to time, Guy really did feel for him, especially at times like this. “You okay?” Guy asked as Luke’s shoulders sagged a bit.

“No, but I will be…” he said softly.

“There any pieces of treasure you want to go get and hold onto before we do this?” Guy asked and Luke’s eyes widened.

“Y-yes! Don’t- Ah-… Come with me!” He grabbed hold of Guy’s wrist and pulled hard, breaking out into a run as he dragged the blond behind him.

“S-Slow down!” Guy yelled as he struggled to keep up, the bags of explosives falling off of his shoulder and onto the ground right at the entrance to the cave. Luke ignored him, racing as fast as his feet could carry him through the various tunnels that twisted and turned far too much, leaving Guy incredibly dizzy and short of breath. Luke came to a stop when he was standing before his hoard, admiring his vast riches with pride in his eyes. “I can’t… I can’t breathe…!” Guy wheezed, resting his hands on his knees as he gasped for air.

“Yeah, well, I don’t trust you with explosives outside while I’m in here looking for something,” Luke replied rather callously. 

“If I wasn’t… desperate… for air… I’d take offense… to that!” Guy panted, falling back onto the ground as he just lay there and tried to breathe. Luke wandered over to one of the treasure piles and started to dig, sifting through the hoarded gold and jewels feverishly with intent on his face. When Guy regained his breath he straightened himself out and watched with brows quirked, positively intrigued. Luke was passing over some very beautiful pieces of jewelry, rare coins and gemstones, tossing them aside as if they didn’t even matter to him. He seemed very intent on finding something in particular, but what, Guy could hardly guess. There was just so _much_ here!

“Ah! Here…!” he exclaimed, pulling out a rather… plain, old wooden box from the practical mountain of gold around him. Before Guy could even ask what exactly was so important about that dusty old box, Luke opened it and pulled out a rather beautiful locket. It was gold, with a large dragon’s breath opal encrusted into the center with engravings of ancient Ispanian wrapped around it. Luke clutched it in his hands tightly before opening it up, looking at the contents with a fond, almost reminiscent smile on his face. “Staavek hi, Kii… Staavek hi…1” he whispered lovingly.

Okay, Guy was now _very_ curious, considering he’d never seen anything but anger or worry on the redhead’s face. So he got up and casually strolled over, making sure to sneak a peek from behind Luke. What he saw greatly confused him. Hair. A lock of red hair tied with a black ribbon. “You wanted to retrieve some hair?” he spoke without thinking. In an instant Luke’s entire demeanor changed. He snapped the locket closed and draped it over his neck, shooting Guy a rather nasty glare.

“Keep your mouth shut, human!” he hissed, shoving past the blond towards the tunnel that would take him back up towards the surface. Guy sighed heavily, frowning at him, but he didn’t say anything. Was it so much to ask that Luke pick an emotion and stick with it for more than ten minutes?

Once back outside where the explosives had fallen, it was a simple matter of placing the charges in the right spots around the mouth of the cave. Guy set the last charge, making sure all the wires were in the right place when he signaled to Luke that it was time to retreat to a safe distance. They ran back down around the bend and hid behind the rock wall, Guy setting the detonator down. “Three, two, one!” Guy called out, pressing down the detonation plunger. The charges exploded in almost perfect unison, and a large portion of the mountain over the cave began to crumble down, burying the entrance in an avalanche of heavy boulders and thick clouds of dust.

Luke watched this with a forlorn look, his shoulders slumping as a crushing feeling of defeat hit him with force. When the dust settled, he stepped out and headed back over the entrance, placing his hand up against one of the boulders. “Well… there goes my home,” he said with a sad sigh, shaking his head.

“It’s not gone,” Guy tried to assure him as he approached, “It’s just waiting for you until you get back-“ Luke’s stomach then growled loudly and Guy had to hide a laugh. This dragon was always after food, wasn’t he? “Hungry?”

“Well we never did get to have breakfast thanks to… what’s-his-name.”

“Jensen. The man whose nose you broke was Jensen.”

“Yeah him. Let’s go get some real food while we’re out here. I refuse to eat that military grade slop.” He wrinkled his nose in disgust. “I know a good hunting ground not too far from here. Come on.” They returned to and then mounted their horses. Luke led the way, directing them off the main path down towards a steep embankment. A wide river of crystal clear water ran through, with large, green trees providing adequate shade for the two of them to stop in. 

“Wow, it’s very beautiful here.” Guy said as he dismounted his horse, leading it over to the edge of the water to allow it to drink. “I had no idea a place like this existed all the way out here.”

“Yeah, well, your human scouts know it’s not wise to come here. There’s a massive wolf den on the other side of the embankment. There should be a lot there since they’re preparing for the coming winter.” Guy blinked.

“Wolves?!” He nearly yelled, reaching for his sword and Luke jumped backwards, putting immediate distance between himself and the blade.

“Put that thing away!” Luke did yell, and loudly. “Rem! They don’t come down this far which is why I had us stop here! Why don’t you just build a fire or something while I handle the wolves? You’re way too excitable… You got a weapon besides that deathtrap?” he asked in annoyance as Guy started to rummage through his pack.

“I’ve got a field dressing knife, but, up against a wolf? That’s a little… foolish,” he said as Luke walked over and took it from him, eyeing the blade for a few moments.

“It’ll do. I’ll be back.” He waved casually, wading through the river to get to the other embankment.

With the redhead out of sight, Guy had a moment to sit back and breathe, glad to have some time to himself finally. Luke was… interesting company for certain, and quite a handful. Managing conversation with him was tricky, anything could set him off into that foul, angry mood of his… The idea of traveling all the way to Daath with him? That was going to be a painful trip. 

He pulled himself up to his feet and started to look around for twigs and branches, accumulating a good sized armful after about ten minutes of scavenging. He then set the branches up into a neat pile on a patch of dry dirt, and, using flint from his pack, started up a couple sparks that caught. A small smile came to his face as a result. He might have been born a noble but he had survival skills just like any other soldier.

Luke came back not too much later, maybe ten more minutes or so, covered in blood- the wolf’s, not his, he so proudly stated- dragging a very large, very dead corpse behind him. Guy stood up and positively gawked. “That thing is huge!”

“I killed two more just for the hell of it. I forgot how much of a great anger release hunting is.” Luke grinned, and Guy found himself staring at the man with mild horror.

“Three… you killed three wolves? With a field dressing knife?” Guy asked in disbelief as Luke shook his head.

“And my claws!” he was positively beaming, holding up a hand to show some rather large black talons protruding from his fingers. “If I concentrate hard enough I can manifest them!” he said excitedly. “If I can do this, I might be able to break through the binding on my own given some time-“ In his moment of excitement, Luke’s concentration had slipped, and the claws disappeared from his now very human hand. He frowned rather deeply, sighing heavily. “Well, so much for concentration... Anyway, here,” he handed Guy the knife and dragged the corpse over to the fire. “You know how to field dress, right?” The blond looked down at the corpse, feeling a little sick.

“Yeah… yeah I do.” Not that he _liked_ doing it, but it was a part of boot camp back when he enlisted.

“Go ahead and get started on that while I get the other two. We’re going to eat like kings!” He outright cackled before turning to leave across the river again. Guy clutched the knife tightly, looking down at the dead animal with a grimace. Food… right.

He got down onto his knees and sliced the knife into the wolf’s abdomen, cutting along the length until its organs spilled out onto the ground. Oh gods, that was so gross… He used the knife to cut the organs free, gathering them all into as neat a pile as he could manage off to the side where the buzzards could have their fill later if they wished before going back to work. Luke came back with the second corpse as Guy had began to skin the first wolf, and Luke came back with the final wolf as Guy was now starting to slice and divvy up the meat.

“You’re looking a little green there,” Luke pointed out.

“What was your first clue?” Guy asked sarcastically, tasting bile in the back of his throat as Luke scoffed, bending down to take the knife from him.

“Weakling. Go lay the pelt out in the sun to dry while I take care of these,” he said. Guy rolled his eyes, but gave a mock salute before doing as told. Luke began to work, and Guy watched with mild interest, seeing the dragon making very quick work of the other two corpses. 

It wasn’t long before everything was all neatly organized into piles: meat next to the fire, organs in a heap far off for the buzzards, and the pelts laying out in the sun to dry. Luke’s mouth was positively watering as he looked over the large stack of fresh meat they had collected.

“Wipe that drool off your chin why don’t you,” Guy teased, grabbing a couple of long, thick sticks of wet wood by the bank of the river for the both of them. “Here,” he handed one to Luke, “We can roast the meat this way.”

“Good thinking.”

They sat around the small fire with their meat roasting on their little spits, when Guy noticed Luke’s contemplative expression. “Something bothering you?” he asked as Luke looked up at him.

“We’re going to Daath, right?” he asked and Guy nodded. “Jade said something about Divine Ion. Last time I was awake, the Divine was some guy named Evanos, the Emperor of Malkuth was named Karl the… something-th, I don’t even remember who was in charge of Kimlasca at the time. Who’re the important political leaders now a days?”

“Evanos? He was the Divine over 250 years ago.” Guy blinked, mild surprise on his face. Well, Luke had said that he had been asleep for two centuries, though Guy hadn’t really believed that until now. “The current Divine is Ion. From what I can tell, he’s very considerate and kindhearted. I’m sure he’d be eager to end this war, but I don’t know if he can throw official sanction behind one country or the other due to political ramifications. Emperor Peony IX is currently in charge of Malkuth. He’s a fairly laid back man, I’ve met him only a few times before, back when I was younger. He seemed nice. King Ingobert is running Kimlasca right now. He’s a bit older, and rather strict with traditions.” Guy answered as Luke rotated his meat.

“Why are Kimlasca and Malkuth even fighting? What’s the war about?” Guy fell silent for a moment.

“Kimlasca declared war on us, saying that Malkuth kidnapped their princess and used her as a bargaining chip to get control over this territory. They said they refused to negotiate, and that Malkuth executed their princess and sent them her head.” Luke actually looked a little bit horrified by that.

“What the hell- you’re willingly fighting for the country that would execute an innocent girl for a plot of land? And people say dragons are cold blooded.” He quirked his brow at Guy and the blond shook his head.

“His Majesty vehemently denies Kimlasca’s claims, saying that the princess never set foot in the capital. All we know is that she was on her way to the capital as a goodwill gesture between countries when her carriage was attacked and she disappeared. Kimlasca immediately issued blame to Malkuth and attacked us.”

“Something doesn’t sound right about this whole thing.” Luke muttered, pulling his meat out of the fire and blew on it, watching the steam rise up into the air as the most wonderful aroma hit his senses.

“Yeah no kidding. But the fighting escalated beyond that now. The Kimlascans are fighting for their princess, but Malkuth seems to be fighting because of their hatred for Kimlascans.”

“What about you?” Luke asked. “What are you fighting for?”

“I made a promise to someone a long time ago.” Guy rotated his makeshift spit. “Kind of wish I hadn’t, in retrospect. This is all a little more than I signed on for.”

“That we can agree on.” Luke chuckled dryly. “At least you don’t seem to have the blind hatred all the other soldiers have. Everyone back at camp is very fond of calling me an inbred. I take it the royal family of Kimlasca has some… questionable practices with keeping their blood blue?” Guy shrugged, pulling his own meat out of the fire. “Malkuth’s had that in the past. So did Zao, Qiubi, Ispania… Pretty much every major empire is guilty of inbreeding at least a little.”

“Doesn’t mean people take kindly to it. Look, just ignore them back at camp. You know it’s not true,” he said as Luke hungrily tore into his chunk of meat, the redhead positively moaning at how good it tasted.

“Oh, gods! This! _This_ is a proper meal for a dragon!” he exclaimed happily, the meat’s juices dripping down his chin. Guy glanced down at his own meal, eyeing it critically for a moment.

“I’ve never had wolf before,” he admitted with a sheepish grin and Luke looked at him wide eyed.

“Eat it right this instant,” he demanded and Guy complied, taking a small bite from his skewer. The flavor was a bit odd at first but, it was very tender, juicy, and definitely tasted so much better than what he had been eating for the past month, out here in the mountain pass with that cook on duty. “It’s so good, isn’t it?” Luke asked eagerly.

“Yeah, this is delicious!” Guy nodded at him, and the two sat there together happily eating their fill.

It wasn’t until that evening that they returned to camp, many of the soldiers clustered around their fires with their bowls of slop, telling stories like they seemed to do every night. Luke couldn’t help but to smirk, glancing back at the saddlebags attached that had been used to carry the explosives now filled to the brig with tasty, delicious wolf meat. He was going to have to steal some salt to keep the meat from spoiling- like hell he was going to ask that bastard cook after the crap he pulled this morning, and like hell he was going to share any of his precious meat with the other soldiers who were all too keen on putting him down every chance they got.

“Guy, where do they keep the rations around here?” he asked innocently enough but Guy knew better.

“I’m not enabling you to steal military property, Luke. Find it on your own.” Luke huffed in annoyance, crossing his arms.

“Alright fine, have it your way. I’ll meet you back at the tent.” he said as he walked off with the saddle bags, in search for the secret stash of salt. Guy scratched the back of his head and chuckled a little. Well, Luke was certainly amusing sometimes. He returned the horses over to their posts and headed back over to his tent, eager to kick his boots off and just relax for a while when he found Jade in his tent rather unexpectedly. “Colonel, what are you doing here?” he blinked in surprise.

“Ah good, you’re finally back- Where’s the other one?” he asked as Guy shrugged.

“He went off to try and find some salt for the meat we got while out today. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

“I see. I was going to go over the travel itinerary with the both of you but I believe it’ll be best to wait until our guest checks in-“ the tent’s flap opened up as Luke stepped in, and the moment his eyes locked on Jade he looked like he was ready to fight him, “Well, speak of the devil and he shall appear. Or in this case, dragon.” Jade grinned a little as Luke frowned. “Did you find the salt?”

“No, I threw the bag of meat at the cook’s head the moment I heard your voice.” Luke answered and Jade sighed heavily.

“You are just so _bad_ at playing your part, Luke.” Jade shook his head.

“Drop it, Jade. Guy, get out. I need to speak with him alone,” Luke said harshly as he narrowed his eyes at the man. “It’s been long overdue.”

“Now now, no need for such hostilities. If we’re to be travel buddies I believe we should all be open with one another.” Jade gave an easy smile.

“What are you _doing_ here?” Luke looked _very_ serious, so much so it greatly unnerved Guy who involuntarily took a step backward.

“Following his Majesty’s orders.” Jade shrugged nonchalantly.

“You were supposed to be guarding Sylvana.” Jade’s gaze then hardened as the tension in the air rose sharply. “I’ll ask you again: what are you doing here?” Luke’s voice was low.

“Sylvana- what?” Guy blinked, suddenly feeling very out of the loop. What on Auldrant were these two talking about?

“Have you ever been to Mt. Roneal?” Jade crossed his arms, shaking his head. “Why I’d catch my death out there if I had stayed any longer.” Luke was growing angry, dangerously so, and Guy had had just about enough of being thrown out of the loop.

“What the hell is going on between you two? Because obviously something is very wrong here.” He stepped forwards, looking at the both of them.

“It’s nothing you need concern yourself with, just a bit of witty banter,” Jade replied. Luke then stomped his foot.

“Like hell it is! I don’t know what the hell you pulled last night to be able to mask it from me but you-“ Jade then started to laugh, and hard.

“Mask? Child, I didn’t hide anything. You were too injured and exhausted to even notice what was right in front of you,” he said with positively the most condescending sneer Guy had ever seen on the man’s face.

“I’m not a child!” Luke snapped back, his hands balled up into fists.

“You reds are always so hot headed and brash. You aren’t even mature yet. You yell, throw tantrums when you don’t get your way, and resort to fights instantaneously. You are, by every definition, a child.” Luke bared his teeth and started to snarl.

“Bii viingaal banaak!2” he shouted.

“Renek niislahriiv,3” Jade shot back in a cold tone.

“Wuth jul!4"

Luke hadn’t noticed…? Reds? Guy had been trying to keep up with the argument but it escalated far faster than he could have anticipated. He briefly reflected back to Luke’s words from earlier as Luke began to shout at Jade in that weird language of his, _’You’ve met a dragon before, you just don’t know it yet’_ , and then Jade replied back in that very language.

Blue eyes stared at the colonel and the realization was jarring. It explained so much... His strategies when it came to combat, how he seemed to know practically everything no matter the subject...

_“You’re a dragon.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Miss you, Asch. Miss you.  
> 2 Blue winged scum!  
> 3 Childish brat,  
> 4 Old man!


	5. Desert Rose

It wasn’t a question, just a firm statement cementing everything into place. His words hung in the air, and there was a tense moment of silence that followed as all eyes in the tent had glanced over to him. Guy snapped himself out of his initial shock and stepped forward, “Both of you need to drop this… whatever this is, right now. It’s not important. What _is_ important is getting to Daath.”

“Oh?” Jade asked, looking over to Guy amusedly as he crossed his arms. “Well, well, you’re taking this news rather well.” Luke then started to growl, absolutely done with Jade’s cavalier attitude and lack of seriousness in this matter.

“Rem, I hate blue dragons so much… You don’t need to go to Daath, you need to go back to Mt. Roneal where you _belong_ ,” Luke hissed.

“The gateway is sealed, Luke. Mt. Roneal is entirely too remote and guarded by abnormally strong monsters. No human is foolish enough to go stumbling off into mountains blanketed beneath a blizzard, with that many predators in the area out of sheer curiosity. Besides, aren’t you tasked with Southern Rugnica?” he asked as Luke frowned.

“Can’t exactly do my job like this.” He gestured to himself rather furiously.

“You’ve been asleep for the last two centuries, I’d hardly call that doing your job,” Jade jabbed as Luke scoffed.

“Look who’s talking! Given one of the most prestigious honors possible and here you are squandering it by playing dress up in the human military! Do you know how many others would _kill_ for the privilege of doing what we do?!” Jade then sighed heavily, shaking his head.

“This is the problem with you godlings; you take yourselves way too seriously. Did Lorelei instill nothing but duty in that empty head of yours?” he crossed his arms and sneered. “While you’ve spent the last two centuries sleeping, _I’ve_ been awake and paying attention; I know the political climate, who the important leaders are-”

“You make me sick!” Luke spat angrily, hands balled up into fists as he glared Jade down.

“Well, that’s a shame,” Jade replied sarcastically as he brought his hands around behind his back, “because with all of that knowledge, I know how to end the current ongoing war,” that certainly caught Luke’s attention, “and it requires us to get to Daath, as per his Majesty’s instructions. Now, since everything is out in the open, I was going to volunteer flight duty to get us to Daath _faster_ , as I’m sure the faster we end this war, the faster each nation’s troops withdraw from your territory. But since I make you so sick…” he trailed off. Luke stared at him for a moment, his brows quirked.

“…Why would you want to help me?” Luke asked cautiously.

“Well it’s as you’ve said, you _can’t_ do your job like this,” Jade replied simply.

“That’s two days of nonstop flight with your massive wingspan. You sure you’re up for that, old man?” Luke cocked his hip and Jade brought the back of one hand up to his forehead, sighing dramatically.

“Oh, how your words wound me deeply. I’m injured, Luke. You’ve injured me.”

“You don’t look injured.”

“It’s internal. Right by my heart.”

“Like you have one.” Luke snorted.

“Okay,” Guy then cut in, looking greatly confused, “The human is lost here. What exactly is happening?” he looked between the two of them, not that he was expecting either of them to actually answer his question. This talk of jobs and gateways seemed very secretive... “Is Jade going to… fly us to Daath?” he asked as Luke nodded. “Like, _fly_ fly?” Luke nodded again.

“Yup. Faster this damn war ends the faster you humans will vacate my territory,” Luke huffed, stamping his foot.

“Oh my, I don’t know how much weight my old, aching bones can take before breaking,” Jade teased, but it only added further irritation to Luke. 

“You volunteered, no take backs,” Luke shot and Jade chuckled.

“We’ll leave just before sunrise. We’ll need the cover of darkness to take off without raising the awareness of the troops. I’ll see the two of you tomorrow.” Jade said as he excused himself, exiting Guy’s tent.

A very huge, child-like grin came to Guy’s face then and there. “Oh gods, I have so many things I want to ask- but I guess what I should ask is: what do I need to pack for flying?” Priorities.

“Dress warmly.” Luke supplied, “Jade’s old, and therefore very large. He needs to fly high up to keep out of sight. The air is frigid at that kind of altitude, and you could quite literally freeze if you’re not properly protected. Gloves, goggles, blankets, anything to keep warm. Beyond that, the usual food and supplies for travel. Just make sure it can fit into saddlebags,” he said as Guy nodded, making mental notes.

“I don’t have goggles but I have pretty much everything else on that list,” he said, heading over to his chest to start organizing his things for their upcoming trip. “I can’t believe I’ve actually been this close to a real dragon for this long and didn’t notice.” He laughed at himself as he folded up some clothing into neat piles.

“Jade’s one of the few actually gifted with illusion magic, so you likely never would have found out if you hadn’t met me,” Luke pointed out as Guy continued to rummage through his trunk.

“Hey Luke, do you even need blankets for this?” he asked as he looked over his shoulder at the redhead. “I mean, since you’re a fire dragon and all.” Luke went a little stiff at the question and his cheeks flushed slightly.

“Y-yeah, blankets… need...” He’d lost his composure for a moment, a moment that made Guy stop what he was doing to stare at him with a confused look on his face. Luke cleared his throat awkwardly and decided to switch topics, moving back to Jade. “I hadn’t recognized Jade at first; he’s chosen a new appearance for himself. I’m still wondering how I’d failed to notice his entire presence though…” he crossed his arms, frowning.

“Presence?” Guy asked as Luke nodded.

“Yeah. Appearance shouldn’t matter to us since we shapeshift. Every living being has an energy signature that’s completely unique to them- we can feel it. Humans have very small, weak ones; absolutely insignificant. Dragons have very large ones that are incredibly hard to miss. Which, apparently, I missed.” He looked down to his left palm, seeing the large, garish purple scar that marred his skin.

“Sounds complicated,” Guy said as Luke shrugged.

“Maybe to a mortal. For us it’s second nature.”

“I guess that makes sense. Complicated, but makes sense,” Guy said as he finished folding up his clothes and belongings into neat, organized piles. “Let’s see… I think that’s everything. What about you?” he asked, and Luke gave him a rather incredulous look.

“Everything I own was just sealed in my cave?” he quirked his brows and Guy felt a little foolish.

“Ah, right… sorry. Let’s just get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” Guy suggested as Luke scoffed, taking a seat on the edge of the cot where he kicked his boots off.

“You don’t know the half of it.”

_Gnome Redecan, Lunaday 20 N.D. 2018_

It was pitch black in the tent when Guy’s alarm went off, ripping the blond out of his peaceful, deep slumber. He forced himself to sit up and blindly groped about until he found the mechanical device and shut it off, slowly getting up and stumbling around until he could find the lantern. In his tired, groggy state of being, Guy accidentally kicked his trunk rather hard and tripped over it. With a loud crash, he collided with the ground and swore angrily, waking the redhead up who was now ready to attack anything that moved until he saw the pathetic pile on the ground. “What in the hell are you doing?” Luke asked, annoyed, as Guy pulled himself back upright.

“Hurting myself, apparently… oh, that didn’t feel good…” he groaned, rubbing his backside a few times as the dull ache faded. “Anyways, you’re up. Let’s get ready. I really don’t want to get on Jade’s bad side by making him wai-” The tent flaps opened up as Jade popped his head in, looking at the both of them.

“Will the two of you ever be coming along? We’re losing cover. Gather your things and come to the cliffside around the rear of the camp.” He huffed in mild irritation before disappearing just as quickly as he had appeared. Guy was left there chuckling a bit nervously; it had been one thing to deal with the colonel back when he was just a colonel, but now, knowing that he was actually a dragon? Terrifying didn’t even begin to cover it...

Guy forewent his armor and stuck with his uniform, pulling on a thick pair of hide riding pants and several cotton tunics followed by a heavy woolen sweater. All of this seemed a little much at the moment, and difficult to move in, but he did trust what Luke had to say on the matter considering he was the one with actual wings and more than seven thousand years of actual flight experience. For a brief moment Guy wondered just what it would be like to fly, really fly up high in the sky on his own, with real wings that could carry him to amazing, far away places. That sounded like such a dream… His train of thought was derailed however when Luke shuffled over next to him and started to rummage through his chest.

“Careful- the sword is in there,” he warned and Luke immediately took several steps back.

“You’re not bringing that thing with us.”

“I can’t just leave it here. It’s been in my family for generations-”

“That’s not something you should be proud of!” Luke snapped at him, clutching his left hand rather tightly.

“You were able to hold it when it was covered in cloth,” Guy pointed out. “If I keep it covered-”

“I don’t care!” he snapped, but Guy glared at him in turn.

“Well I _do_! I’m not leaving the last piece of my family behind!” he asserted angrily. “I’ll keep it covered tightly and bury it in the bottom of our packs. It won’t be a problem for you or Jade.” Luke was scowling at him.

“Fine, do what you want,” Luke spat, storming out of the tent angrily. Guy stared out after him for a few moments, a deep frown on his face before he looked down into the trunk to where the sword lay… So much trouble over one simple heirloom…

Done dressing and packing up his belongings, Guy hauled the heavy saddlebags over his shoulder and out of the campsite. There was a narrow, winding trail that curved around the mountainside and brought him out to a large flat expanse that had a sheer drop about thirty meters out. Dawn was just starting to break over the horizon, which meant that they were cutting it pretty close as the other soldiers would soon be be getting up. Luke was already there waiting rather impatiently, his arms crossed and his back turned to Guy. He was standing quite a fair distance away from Jade, though, who was out in the middle of the open expanse. As Guy approached, moving to head over towards Jade, Luke extended his arm out and grabbed Guy’s shoulder to keep him from stepping any further.

In an instant, a tremendous amount of energy had been released, resulting in a positively blinding light that engulfed the entire area. Guy yelped, completely caught off guard as he brought his hands up to shield his eyes. The light then died down, and when he opened his eyes he dropped the saddlebags onto the ground as he stood there with his mouth hanging wide open.

Jade… was _gigantic_! Easily three times Luke’s original size, with dark blue scales, large black talons, and piercing red eyes. “Do you have everything you need?” Jade’s voice was augmented, and rumbled so loudly Guy swore he could feel himself vibrate when the dragon spoke. 

Oh Lorelei, he felt so incredibly small and insignificant again... 

“Yeah, yeah. Stop fussing, old timer,” Luke called out as he bent down to pick up one of the saddle bags.

“Children should really learn to respect their elders. You’ll be my age one day,” Jade sighed, stretching his enormous wings out for a moment and Luke laughed.

“By the time I’m your age, I want to be dead for 10,000 years,” he said, grabbing hold of Jade’s leg to climb up onto his back. Guy on the other hand stood entirely too still, staring upwards at Jade with a look of awe and… slight fear, if he had to be honest. The older dragon took notice and chortled a little, and that immediately snapped Guy out of his stupor. He grabbed the rest of their packs and hurried over, feeling apprehension when it came to having to actually _climb up onto the back of a live dragon_.

“Are you coming or what?” Luke asked in annoyance. Guy took in a deep breath, calming his nerves, before he grasped onto Jade’s leg and began to climb up. Once up on the dragon’s back, that fear was then entirely replaced by excited giddiness as this all became incredibly real. They were going to _fly_!

“So, what am I supposed to do?” he asked only for Luke to promptly shove him forwards, forcing him to sit down. “-Hey!” Luke then dropped a large amount of rope into his lap. “...Huh?”

“Hold onto that.” Luke instructed, jumping down from Jade’s back onto the ground below. “Okay! Toss one end of that down!” he yelled. Thoroughly confused, Guy did so, which Luke grabbed onto, walked underneath Jade’s neck, and then started to climb back up onto his back on the other side. Oh! Luke was making a makeshift harness!

“Rope? Won’t Jade’s scales like… rub through that?” Guy asked.

“You prefer we ride bareback? We don’t exactly have the best supplies to work with here. Now, hold still,” he muttered, taking both ends of the rope and wrapping it around Guy’s waist. Luke took a seat directly behind him, wrapping the rope around himself, then took to weaving their saddlebags into the knots to make sure none of their belongings would be falling off mid flight. From there, Luke pulled out the blankets and started to wrap himself and Guy up.

“Are you ready?” Jade asked, a growing impatience in his voice.

“Yes!” Luke called out. 

Jade extended out his wings, raising them up as high as they would go before beating them down with a deafening flap. The sheer amount of _power_ required to move those things- Guy could hardly believe it! He clutched onto a couple of spines protruding from Jade’s neck tightly and brought his head down, trying to keep steady as the wings started to flap faster and faster. He could feel the dragon’s muscles shifting beneath him with each movement, feel the exact moment Jade’s feet left the ground as they lifted up into the air.

Flying… they were flying!

Guy gasped, his heart racing as adrenaline and excitement coursed through his veins. He couldn’t contain it anymore, and he started to laugh, loudly, cheering as he was, quite possibly, the first human to ever ride a dragon.

“Any louder and you’ll wake the entire camp,” Luke warned, watching the campsite down below shrink smaller and smaller the higher up they went. His gaze then fell to the east where the first rays of dawn were starting to show, and Luke grasped onto Guy’s shoulder. “Guy, look.” he pointed outwards to the horizon. The sky brightened into fantastic hues of deep burgundy, purple, and indigo. The sun rose as the sky continued to brighten and turn the clouds hues of pink and orange. "Sunrises are always amazing..." he sighed, leaning up against Guy a little bit.

It had been hard to hear him over the fierce rushing winds blowing past them but, Gods, Luke had been right. He was positively breathless as the sun came up, watching with awe. “...I don’t know how you could sleep for hundreds of years! I’d get up every day just to watch something like this!”

“The older you get the longer you have to sleep.” Luke stated. “Jade’s so old he has to sleep for millennia at a time,” he snarked with a bit of a grin. Jade had glanced back at him for a brief moment before picking up altitude again and bringing them into absolutely arctic air. Luke immediately clung onto Guy tightly to absorb as much body heat as possible, but frigid, high speed winds was making it impossible. He was shaking, teeth chattering, and his lip were starting to turn blue. 

In a last ditch effort to keep warm, Luke grabbed Guy’s blankets and lifted the back of them up, pulling them up and over his head so they were wrapped around both Guy and himself. A heavy cotton tunic layered over a long sleeved shirt, an oversized jacket stolen from a soldier, a pair of leather gloves found by the horses, and now six thick woolen blankets, all of which failed to help keep him warm. Luke pressed his body up against Guy tightly, and finally, there was some heat. Guy was like a hot furnace… so warm, so comfortable… Luke sighed with relief, his head resting between the blond’s shoulder blades.

“Too cold?” Jade asked, as Luke popped his head out from under the various layers.

“B-bite me, Jade!” he hissed, teeth still chattering. The older dragon snorted with amusement

“Are you okay?!” Guy called out to Luke.

“I-I’m a f-f-fire drake. Put it t-together, g-genius,” he managed to stutter before withdrawing back into the warmth and safety of his blanket cocoon.

“You could have told me that you can’t handle the cold back at camp!” Guy yelled. He could have snagged some more sweaters, coats, blankets, whatever was necessary to keep his companion adequately warm! Not to mention it was just… awkward, having Luke pressed up against him so tightly… He was loathe to admit it but his cheeks were definitely flushed, and not as a result of the icy winds hitting him in the face.

“This is as high as we need to stay for the duration of the flight to keep hidden. Try not to freeze on me,” Jade said, almost mockingly, but Luke was more concerned with keeping himself warm than retaliating against him. Guy peered downwards to the ground and found himself far higher than he had _ever_ wanted to be in his life. He tightly grasped onto Jade’s scales and muttered silent prayers to the Gods to make it through this journey safely- to Sylph especially for kind and gentle winds.

It was three hours before the continent of Southern Rugnica disappeared beneath them and they were flying high above the ocean’s surface. “Jade!” Luke popped his head out from under the blankets once again. “We should stop when we reach the oasis. We need a food and water break,” he called out, looking to the horizon to see the continent of Aberria finally within view. It wouldn’t be too long now till they were reaching the Zao desert.

“I could definitely use a break,” Guy mumbled tiredly, his body completely sore in very unexpected ways.

“The oasis has been built upon, so we’ll have to land a ways away and walk there,” Jade pointed out.

“We’ll manage,” Luke said, feeling pangs of hunger gnawing at him.

As they finally flew over the desert a couple hours later, the temperature rose significantly and they were able to shed the blankets. Jade took them down about a half mile away from the oasis. Finally back on solid ground, Guy waited for Luke to undo all the knots that had him firmly secured in place. He practically fell off when the rope became loose, legs entirely too sore after staying in one position for practically five hours. He was hot, tired, thirsty, hungry, and damn did he need to pee. They also had a half mile hike until they got to the oasis...

“Which direction is it from here?” Guy asked, half listening as he scampered off to the side to relieve himself.

“Northwest,” Jade replied casually as Luke finished tossing their supplies down onto the ground before jumping off. Once free of passengers, Jade transformed back into his human self and Guy, having returned to help pick up their bags, felt so incredibly weird seeing him and knowing that he had just spent the last five or so hours riding on his back. Jade rotated his shoulders and cracks and pops could be heard. “Hah… you kids are so heavy. I’m lucky a bone didn’t break.” Luke rolled his eyes; Jade could walk no problem, but Luke took one look at Guy and noticed how the human looked like he was going to pass out from fatigue.

“Tch… get on,” Luke muttered, turning around and lowering down. Guy blinked, looking at him confusedly. Was Luke… offering him a piggyback ride?

“My, my. A mighty and proud red, allowing a human to mount him? How scandalous!” Jade grinned and Luke glared at him.

“S-Shut it! Guy would probably collapse before we even make it to the oasis and I’m not affected by the heat!” He then looked over at Guy. “Hurry up and get on!”

Guy was a little stunned, and slightly unnerved, but he knew that a half hour hike would just end him after their flight here, so he agreed- albeit a bit reluctantly. “Thanks, Luke. Flying takes a lot more out of you than I would have ever thought,” he laughed weakly, climbing up onto his back. Luke secured Guy’s legs with his arms and moved to stand back up only to nearly fall to his knees because _Rem_ , Guy was heavy! Did his strength get sealed away with the rest of his power too?!

“Having fun there?” Jade asked, highly amused.

“Don’t… say anything…” Luke grunted, walking off. Jade snickered to himself as he grabbed the saddle bags and followed along.

The walk to the oasis was pretty brief as the dragons had been able to keep a decent pace, despite the blistering heat, soft sands, and heavy loads they had to carry. When they finally did reach the oasis, Luke couldn’t handle it anymore and dumped Guy to the ground off his back and groaned loudly, drenched in sweat. “I thought you said the heat didn’t affect you?” Jade chided, but Luke, far too exhausted, let it slide as he fell onto his back, staring upwards at the sky. “I’ll go fill our canteens,” Jade said, leaving the two of them in the middle of the oasis.

“Was I really that heavy?” Guy asked as he picked himself up off the ground, seeing Luke trying to catch his breath. He took a moment to look around, having never been here before. There was a somewhat large building that housed what looked like a rest house and communal kitchen, and on the outside there were a few tents and stalls set up for vendors and merchants. To the right, a large pool of fresh water that had a caravan wagon at its shore with a few mercenaries standing around it. 

Luke closed his eyes, taking a few moments to just relax when suddenly a shadow fell over him. He peered up, expecting to see Guy but instead found a very unfamiliar face looking at him. “You need to drink some water right now, or else you’ll get heatstroke.” A young woman with short strawberry blond hair and olive green eyes, covered in what looked like Chesedonian attire stood between him and the sun. Luke wanted to laugh at the idea of heatstroke, but at this point he was just too tired to argue. “Here,” she helped him sit up, and pulled him over to some shade before handing him a waterskin. “I can’t believe you guys are traveling the desert on foot!”

“Yeah, well…” Luke graciously accepted the water, taking a good, long drink.

“Better?” she asked as he nodded. “Good.” She smiled, taking the waterskin back.

“Meryl!” a loud, gruff voice called out from over where the wagon was, and the young woman turned to wave.

“I have to go,” she said back to Luke with a small smile on her face, “Make it back to Kimlasca in one piece. The war is getting pretty brutal.” she said before she hurried off over to the man that had called her. Luke groaned, why did everyone have to think he was some stupid noble?

Guy watched from off to the side the brief exchange with slight amusement, wandering over to the shade to take a seat next to Luke. “That was kind of her, helping a stranger.” he mused with a slight grin. “How long do you think we’ll stay here before continuing on?”

“An hour, hour and a half at the absolute latest,” Luke said with a sigh, wiping off his brow. “Depends on how long it’ll take for us to get our supplies together and eat,” his eyes wandered back over to the girl he had just been speaking with, seeing her and a few of the mercenaries grouped together. She didn’t look like one of them, maybe they were protecting her? What put him off was the fact that those mercenaries were watching him. Intently. Luke had a bad feeling about this… Where the hell was Jade?

Luke suddenly lurched forward and started to retch, emptying his stomach contents out onto the sand violently. He clutched his abdomen and gasped for air when he could, but the heaving just wouldn’t stop. He recognized this. 

Rafflesia pollen extract.

A very potent poison when administered in the right dose.

Luke grit his teeth and fought the urge to dry heave through sheer willpower and sat up, pushing Guy out of the way just in time to avoid the swing of an axe. The mercenaries had them surrounded, weapons drawn and aimed directly at them. The girl, Meryl, smirked as she tossed her waterskin up into the air and then caught it by its straps. “I’m not sure if you’re just stupid or you have a death wish. Traveling alone without a carriage, without guards, during a war. Kimlasca will pay us handsomely to have you back. Malkuth might have taken the princess but you have the genes Kimlasca values so highly.” she sneered.

“Tie them up,” ordered a large, intimidating man (with the most impressive facial hair).

“-‘m not… a noble!” Luke choked out, trying very hard to keep himself from gagging.

“Shut it!” One of the mercenaries had come around behind him and struck him in the back of the head. Guy watched with horror as Luke hit the sand like a ragdoll. His hands reflexively reached to grab a sword that wasn’t attached to his hip but instead buried at the bottom of their bags, and he realized that they were screwed. In a thoughtless moment, he made a lunge for their things only to be yanked back by the collar of his shirt.

"What d'ya think you're doing?" The mercenary scowled only to hit Guy in the back of the head with the pommel of his axe. Guy wasn't quite unconscious, but he was dazed and struggling to keep coherent as he crumpled onto the ground. His fingers groped about, trying to locate his blade, but it was a foolish effort as his arms were promptly yanked back and tied far too quickly.

His eyes shifted to the unconscious dragon beside him, vision beginning to spot and fade as unconsciousness finally caught up with him.


	6. Careful Diplomacy

When Luke awoke, a very dull, throbbing pain emanated from the back of his head into the rest of his body. He was exhausted, and felt heavy and numb, barely able to move at all. His hands were tied behind his back, that he could still feel, and when he finally opened up his eyes he could blearily see Guy’s unconscious form next to him. In a confused daze, he tried to recall the events prior to blacking out… Right, the girl at the oasis... the poison, the mercenaries- That snapped him back to his senses and he looked around somewhat frantically, seeing that he, Guy, and their supplies had been loaded up into the back of a wagon. A wagon that seemed to jostle and rumble along the sand, which meant that they were on the move. Mercenaries on horseback were guarding the rear and sides of the wagon as they traveled, and the girl, Meryl, was sitting in the back of the wagon with them, watching Luke coming to rather intently.

“His royal highness awakens. Sleep well?” she asked sweetly as he narrowed his gaze at her.

“I’m _not_ a royal,” he stated again, this time more firmly since it seemed that the message hadn’t sunk in.

“Oh?” she raised her brows, “You just so happen to have the exact, rare genetics that only those in the Kimlascan royal family have?” she asked somewhat mockingly. “Uh huh. Unless of course, you’re the illegitimate, bastard child that’s been kept a dirty little secret... Either way, those stuffy blue bloods will pay exorbitant amounts of money for you: be it for the throne, or to keep you swept under the rug,” a big smirk spread across her face. 

Luke wormed his way up into a sitting position, quite a difficult feat with his hands bound, and from his new vantage point he was able to look around and gather his bearings. It was nightfall, so they had been unconscious for several hours, which meant that they’d be reaching the edge of the desert rather shortly- 

...Where the hell was Jade?

_Oh, fuck blue dragons…_

“So tell me,” Meryl spoke up as she rested her chin on her palm, “what were you doing all alone out in the harsh Zao desert, hm?” Luke shot her a nasty glare. “Aw, don’t give me the cold shoulder! You’ll hurt my feelings!” she pouted.

“You _poisoned_ me.” he leaned back against the side panel of the wagon, concentrating quite hard to summon his claws. They thankfully manifested, and Luke gave a silent prayer to Lorelei before he started to slowly work at the rope binding his wrists together.

“I did,” she was almost grinning. “I’m so amazed you trusted me that easily.”

“Well, it’s hard to resist a cute face,” he shrugged and Meryl laughed.

“It’s a shame we had to meet like this. You’re fun,” she bat her eyes at him. The driver of the wagon, that impressively large man with the facial hair from before, turned to scowl at the both of them.

“Meryl!” he snapped.

“Yes, father,” she sighed, quieting down and shrinking back into her seat.

Guy awoke shortly after thanks to the commotion, a vicious ache pulsing from the back of his crown down into his spine thanks to that blow from the pommel. He was lucky he wasn’t bleeding, or dead, all things considered… that mercenary had hit him _hard_. He pried his eyes open and, with a bit of force, managed to sit upright. “Ugh… my head...” he groaned quietly.

“Oh, welcome back to the land of the living,” Meryl perked up a little bit, eyeing him over. Guy shot her a glare and she pouted, sighing heavily before she looked off into the distance. “It seems that some men just cannot appreciate beauty when it hits them in the back of the head,” she pursed her lips and Guy couldn’t help but to laugh sarcastically at that.

“Yeah, sure, _that’s_ what it is.”

“Quick question,” Luke spoke up, catching Meryl’s attention. “When we finally make it to Baticul, and the royal family refuses to pay anything for me because I’m not related to them in any possible way, what then?”

“Then we haul you off to Chesedonia and throw you in the underground slave markets. They’d have a field day with someone like you, and would pay handsomely for you, too.”

“Slavery, huh?” Luke asked as his claws cut through the rope, his wrists now finally free. “Can’t say I’d be a very good slave. Too loud mouthed and lazy for that kind of lifestyle.”

“You would be such a bad slave,” Guy couldn’t help but to snicker in agreement. The idea of anyone demanding that Luke go and clean something was hysterical knowing his attitude.

“Given your looks, I’m sure there’s many… ‘other’ uses for one such as you,” she said, biting her bottom lip as she allowed her eyes to wander all over his body. Meryl’s father cleared his throat loudly and she giggled, sinking back into her seat once again. Things were quiet for a few moments until the wagon rolled over a rather rough spot on the ground. Luke was jostled up into Guy’s side, and he used the opportunity to slice through Guy’s bindings discreetly. “So,” Meryl spoke up again as Luke pried himself up and off of Guy, “tell me. If you’re not a noble, who are you?”

“I’m a ferocious fire breathing dragon that’s been bound to human form.” Luke replied plainly and Meryl started to laugh.

“York, you hit him too hard on the head!” she called out to one of the men riding along on horseback. “Or, maybe that’s just your fun sense of humor?” she smirked and Luke grinned rather deviously.

“Who knows?” Guy scoffed at Luke’s reply, but found it a bit amusing.

"I’m not so sure about the ferocious part,” Guy hummed, trying to keep his tone light and jovial to play along with all the witty banter. It was fun getting to take a few jabs at Luke considering everything he’s been putting up with from the dragon, but it was still greatly unnerving considering the two of them were technically trapped here. With this many mercenaries guarding them, their supplies would be forfeited the moment they tried to make a break for freedom... Gods damnit, he should have left his sword back at the military camp… surrendering it to a dragon was one thing, but losing it to lowly desert bandits? That was just sad.

Luke yawned loudly, derailing Guy’s train of thought. “Mm, I’m so tired…” he muttered sleepily.

“We were both unconscious for how long, and you’re _still_ tired?” Guy asked with surprise. “Keeping you conscious is a feat in of itself.” Luke rolled his eyes as he shook his head.

“You keep kicking me out of bed!“

“What? I’ve never once kicked you out of bed! The first time I woke you up you _jumped_ me-” a positively devious smirk came to Meryl’s face.

“Ooh, so the two of you are like ‘that’, right? That’s so delicious!” she practically squealed and Luke blinked, looking hopelessly confused.

“Like… ‘that’?” he parroted, glancing over to Guy for some form of clarification but found none. “I don’t understand?” he then looked back to Meryl.

“Lovers, of course!” she explained and Luke’s face flushed darkly at such an accusation. Guy burst out laughing, hard, to the point where he had to fight the urge to wrap his arms around his sides because they hurt so much. Lovers-! Oh, the gods had a terrible sense of humor, didn’t they?

“Trust me,” he giggled, “when I say, that’ll never happen. Oh Rem, I needed that laugh…” 

“Zu’u dreh ni lokaal daar hinzaal mun…1” Luke spat under his breath rather bitterly. Meryl’s father abruptly stood up from his seat, startling all three of them as he positively _towered_ above them. Luke was a dragon, a fairly large creature, but Rem did he feel so completely tiny when this man loomed over him…

“Hi’fun vahzen,2” the man said and Luke’s eyes widened. This… this man was definitely a human, he could feel his energy signature, just as he could for everyone else here, but for a mortal to know the dragon’s tongue…

“You’re not… how?” Luke finally asked as the man pulled the caravan to a halt.

“You meet many people and learn many things while traveling through the desert,”he replied before turning his attention to the rest of the mercenaries, all of whom looking baffled. “This boy is not worth anything to us or the Kimlascan courts. Release him.” he ordered, and the rest of the mercenaries all began to clamor loudly.

“Badaq, you’re joking!”  
“We did not come all this way just to release this brat now!”  
“Father!” Meryl stood up, looking quite angry, “What is the meaning of this!?”

“There was a mistake, and it needs to be corrected,” he jumped down from the wagon and moved to its rear where he opened up the back panel to allow them exit. Luke and Guy stood up, rubbing at their wrists as they looked up at Badaq. “We have wronged you dearly. Since Meryl is the one who poisoned you, she will be the one to accompany you.”

“What?!” Both Meryl and Luke exclaimed in unison.

“Meryl is a skilled fighter and an astute healer.” Both Luke and Guy had to bite their tongues to keep from laughing at the word ‘healer’ considering the dose of poison she doled out earlier. “She will serve you well and repay you for our wrongdoing.” Badaq bowed his head.

“Do I not get a say here?!” Meryl nearly yelled, visibly upset by all of this but Badaq ignored her.

“May Efreet’s fires warm your hearth and your home,” he said and Luke stared at him for a long moment before a genuine smile came to his face.

“May Gnome grant you safe passage and journey,” Luke nodded his head to him.

The band of mercenaries unloaded Luke and Guy’s belongings onto the ground, turned their caravan around, and began to ride back off into the desert. Luke, Guy, and Meryl were left standing around, with the two blonds looking quite stunned at what just happened, while the redhead looked quite cocky. 

“Well,” Luke laughed arrogantly as he rested his hands on his hips, “nice to know that there are still people out there that worship us properly, like the old days!”

“Gotta say, never thought I’d be glad you don’t always speak in the common tongue, Luke.” Guy offered a weak grin.

“I’m just surprised he could understand Dovah’mir to that extent. It should technically be impossible for a human to grasp unless directly taught by another dragon. He did allude to having met another dragon before, though. Likely No-“

“Wait, wait, are you trying to tell me that thing about you being a dragon is real?” Meryl interrupted with an incredulous look on her face. “That’s not possible, dragons have been dead for hundreds of years!” Luke looked over his shoulder at her, his pupils now thin slits, sclera now black. Meryl screamed loudly and jumped backwards, visibly trembling as Luke shut his eyes and shook his head, appearing pained.

“-Ow… okay, that was much harder to manifest than my claws.” he said, his eyes having returned to normal.

“Y-You’re real?! You’re really real?!” her knees gave out on her and she collapsed onto the sand, hands grabbing at her hair, “I-I poisoned a dragon… I have to serve a _dragon_!” she stated dejectedly, the reality of her situation sinking in and weighing very heavily on her shoulders.

“If it’s any consolation, I wasn’t lying when I said I’ve been bound to human form. Most of my power’s been sealed away thanks to this idiot over here,” he gestured at Guy.

“It wasn’t me, it was the sword-”

“Same difference,” Luke rolled his eyes.

Meryl looked from Luke to Guy, and then hung her head. “What did I get myself into…?” she whined. Luke offered her a hand to help her back to her feet and she reluctantly accepted.

“A lot of things. We _were_ on our way to Daath but…” he trailed off, looking around to emphasize Jade’s utter lack of presence. “Hm, I would have liked to start in Daath, but Baticul works.” Luke crossed his arms and nodded.

“…Start what, exactly?” Meryl asked with a worried tone as Luke glanced over at her.

“Stopping the war. We were on our way to Daath to...what were we going to do there?” he turned to Guy.

“Petition the Divine for official aid,” Guy said and Luke nodded. 

“Yeah, that. But I can work with Baticul just as well. Faster the war ends, faster those damn humans vacate my territory.”

“Luke, what are you planning?” Guy asked, sounding equally just as worried as Meryl.

“I think it’s time we pay his Majesty a visit.” Luke narrowed his gaze.

“Oh no, no, Luke- We are not traveling all the way to Baticul just for you to yell at the King!” Guy shook his head. “Besides, they won’t let you into the castle, you’re not actually a noble!” Luke then cackled, beating a hand to his chest.

“Do you forget that I just so happen to be a _brilliant_ actor? This would not be the first time I’ve used my looks to get to the top of the city, Guy, and I doubt it’ll be the last so long as they cling to that red hair, green eyes combination.” Guy gave him a dubious, unconvinced look and Luke frowned. “Do you really have that little faith in me? I placated the Malkuth soldiers, didn’t I?”

“You broke Marshal’s knee, Jensen’s nose, and then you threw that sack of meat at the cook’s head. Granted that last one was kind of funny, and he deserved that for all that awful food- but still!” Guy threw his hands up into the air.

“Not to mention impersonating a noble is high treason and grounds for execution!” Meryl cried out. 

“Are you really going to doubt me when not even ten minutes ago you, and your entire caravan, were planning on holding me for ransom to the royal family? We’re going to Baticul anyways, it’s the closest city with a port unless we backtrack to get to Chesedonia. I’m not sure about you two, but I am not willing to _actually_ cross the desert on foot, especially at night.” The two of them still didn’t look that convinced. “Will you guys just trust me on this? I actually _do_ have diplomacy skills.” he tried to assert but Guy gave a resigned sigh, shaking his head.

Diplomacy. Right…

_Gnome Redecan, Sylphday 23 N.D. 2018_

The city of Baticul was truly a sight to behold, unlike any other city in the entire world. Guy was speechless when it had first come into view, looking on at its many tiers that jutted upwards into the air like some sort of massive tower. It was dotted with lights that stood out in stark contrast against the night time sky, it almost looked like something out of a fairy tale. When they drew closer, he could then see the many technological advances this city boasted over Malkuth, such as the gondolas that traveled between tier to tier, and elevators designed for lifting large masses of people. Guy stood on his tip toes, trying to take in as much as possible as he had never been to Kimlasca’s capital before; there was so much he wanted to see!

“One major earthquake and this city is coming down,” Luke said rather callously, which effectively killed Guy’s excitement. Did Luke have to ruin every little bit of joy in his life? 

A couple of guards were posted at the entrance to the large bridge that lead into the city, and when the three of them came into view, Luke wrapped his arm around Guy’s shoulder and started to heavily limp, much to Guy’s and Meryl’s surprise.

“Halt. Papers, please.” One of the guards spoke up as they drew near. Luke looked up at the man, appearing frail and downtrodden.

“We were ambushed- most of our things were stolen! T-the carriage driver was shot…!” his voice quivered.

“Your excellency!” The guard had taken notice of Luke’s royal coloring and saluted quickly. “Shall I call for an escort to the upper levels?”

“Y-yes, thank you…” Luke nodded weakly as the guard took off in a fast run down the bridge. Luke glanced over at Meryl and Guy with a rather smug grin on his face. “See, I told you.”

“I hate that you’re right…” Guy sighed, rolling his eyes. 

It wasn’t too long before a couple of the kingdom’s elite royal guard, the White Knights, came across the bridge with the previous guard and saluted Luke respectfully.

“We’ll take you to the upper levels now,”  
“Please try to relax, you’re home and you’re safe,”

“I.. I don’t think I’ll be able to walk- my leg was injured in the ambush...” he nudged at Guy and the blond internally groaned, but played along.

“You needn’t worry, young master,” Guy said as he moved out from under Luke and in turn scooped the redhead up into his arms much like a groom carries his bride. Luke’s cheeks flushed a little bit out of embarrassment, but he had to keep his composure for their act to continue.

“T-that’s… you’re such a good servant,” he jabbed at the blond and Meryl watched the two of them before shaking her head. She was at an actual loss for words; so far this was actually going well… Hopefully, none of the guards would be questioning Luke as to which specific noble house he belonged to and blow their cover…

Meryl’s stomach knotted up painfully as they began to walk into the city- she had been fine with the idea of ransoming Luke off for money with the city’s guards, maybe some military officials, but walking into the castle to speak _directly_ with the King- on her own without her father’s company? This was far more than she had ever prepared for. She bit her tongue and kept these concerns to herself as they were escorted through Baticul’s lower commons. They were led to one of the elevator platforms that brought them up to the upper commons. From there, it was a gondola ride directly into the nobility quarter, where a large number of the city’s affluent and semi-royal residents resided. But, because Luke’s hair was so vividly red and his eyes were so impossibly green, the guards took them to a special elevator on the far side of the nobility quarter which led directly to the top tier of the city; to the castle.

“Please-“ Luke spoke up the guards turned to face him, “I need to speak with his Majesty immediately before anything else! It’s very important, I wouldn’t be asking if this weren’t dire circumstances!” he implored and the two guards looked amongst themselves.

“Dire…?”  
“Hm… His Majesty has already retired for the evening…”

“I beg you, it was Malkuth that ambushed us!” Luke cried out, which had Guy internally yelling at him- _way to completely exacerbate the situation between the countries by making Kimlascans think Malkuth attacked them!_

“They’ve breached our borders?!”  
“His Majesty must know of this immediately! Please, come with us!” they urged, motioning for them to follow into the castle.

The word impressive did the castle disservice. It towered above with strong, imposing architecture that commanded awe from the group as they approached. Inside however, Guy found it to be far less sleek in design than what was back in Grand Chokmah, though it did have its own air of appeal to it. It definitely held that feeling of ‘traditional’ that King Ingobert seemed to be known for. The guards took them through the castle’s main foyer and down a hallway to the left, up a spiraling staircase and then down another hall until they reached a large set of grand double doors.

“Your Majesty,” one of the knights knocked on the doors loudly, “there is an urgent matter that must be discussed with you!”

“-If you don’t mind,” Guy then spoke up, “I believe this matter would be best handled if the young master were to discuss it with the King in private.” Because, oh gods, he did not need Luke ending up yelling at the King with two highly trained, elite royal guards there… The guards hesitated for a moment, looking to Luke for confirmation that this was what he wanted, and when Luke nodded, the two of them stood at attention, bowed, and excused themselves.

“Enter,” they heard a voice through the doors. With the guards now gone, Guy put Luke down on the ground and the redhead took a moment to straighten himself out. He then pushed the doors open and stepped in. Expansive, lavishly decorated with dark red and purple hues; King Ingobert was sitting at his desk, paper spread out before him with a quill in his hand. He looked upwards at the visitors and failed to identify any of them, causing him to frown. “You… I don’t recognize you. Who are you?” he asked with caution, setting the quill back into its inkwell.

“Well, so much for the disguise,” Luke muttered as he stepped further into the chambers before staring the King down, “Revak’Yolus, dragon of Deo,” he held up a hand and manifested his claws as well as a good sized patch of red scales on the back of his hand. “Though you may call me Luke for convenience. I need to speak with you, now.”

“You’re-… So, those rumors were true, about the dragon near Akzeriuth? Remarkable…” he said in awe, standing up. “And to what do I owe the pleasure of hosting a beast of legend?” he asked as Luke crossed his arms and narrowed his gaze at the man.

“Get the fuck out of my territory!” Luke yelled, and both Guy and Meryl swore they were all going to be executed right on the spot.

“L-LUKE!” Meryl shrieked.

“Shadow preserve us- Luke are you _trying_ to get us killed?!” Guy damn near shouted. The King looked both baffled and horrified, having never been spoken to in such a way.

“Akzeriuth and Deo Pass have been a hotly contested territory for hundreds of years when it was _never_ yours, or Malkuth’s, to claim. It’s _mine_. I have lived there for seven thousand years and I don’t take kindly to being invaded and having your soldiers litter my home with their corpses!”

“Now listen here, you-“ the King raised his voice but Luke let out an inhuman, low growl that silenced the man and had him backing up.

“Do not forget your place, _human_.” Luke’s eyes changed for a brief moment, deeply unsettling the king, “You allowed your daughter to _die_ over a piece of land that was never yours. What the hell kind of a man is that, let alone a leader?” Luke looked at him with disgust. 

“-Don’t you think I know?!” the King snapped, his hands clutched tightly into fists that trembled as rage and sorrow overtook him. “I… Natalia is gone… because I made a stupid, stupid mistake!” his voice quivered, Meryl flinching back a bit. “Malkuth took her away-... they took her to extort us, and they killed her without any mercy because I refused to give in to their demands for my people!”

“His Imperial Majesty denies this,” Guy stepped forwards, bowing down to the King on one knee. “I was there, in Grand Chokmah, before Kimlasca declared war. Her highness never set foot in the capital-“

“They sent me her head!” Ingobert’s voice broke as he choked back a sob. “In a hat box…!” he brought his hands up to his face. “Wrapped in purple ribbon…!” Meryl started to wring her hands nervously, watching as the King of her beloved country crumbled down into a devastated shell of a man.

“Your Majesty…” she whispered softly.

“I, Gailardia Galan of House Gardios, swear to you that this was not Malkuth’s doing. His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Peony Upala Malkuth IX did not wish for war. We were all very excited to host the princess for the peace talks.”

“Gardios…” the King said wearily, looking over to Guy with tired, sunken eyes. “Yes, you’re… you’re Eugenie’s boy.” Guy blinked with surprise. 

“You… knew my mother?”

“A very bright, lovely woman... from a well respected family here. I am… relieved that you have some of my country’s blood running through your veins… Tell me, if not Malkuth, then who?”

“We don’t know,” Guy felt awful for not being able to give a straightforward answer, “But all his Imperial Majesty wants is to _talk_. We were on our way to Daath to petition the Divine for official aid regarding the war; if you agree to a ceasefire, and we get Malkuth to agree to a ceasefire, would you be willing to talk if the Divine mediates?”

“…I’ll send order to General Cecille and Goldberg to initiate a ceasefire and retreat the moment Malkuth does.” the King said with a heavy sigh.

“Not good enough,” Luke cut in curtly as he crossed his arms, frowning.

“If I withdraw my troops entirely, our borders will be compromised until you reach Malkuth and more casualties could happen. This is the best I can do while keeping my people and my country safe!” he asserted. Guy placed a hand on Luke’s shoulder and gave him a stern look.

“This is good for now, we’ll get to Daath and Malkuth to initiate the peace talks, and then your territory will be vacated.” Luke stared at Guy for a long moment before he exhaled sharply and nodded.

“Alright, fine. But,” Luke glared back at the king, “if you fail to uphold any of this by the time we get to Malkuth, I will personally come back here and eat you. Have I made myself clear?” he asked and the king nodded slowly. “By your leave,” Luke said with a mock bow, before turning around and exiting the king’s chambers rather angrily. 

Guy and Meryl looked at one another before bowing down deeply to the king, apologizing profusely for Luke’s rude, insolent behavior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 I do not love this stupid man...  
> 2 You speak true


	7. Down Time

“What the hell was that?!” Meryl shouted at Luke the moment they exited the castle, drawing quite a bit of attention from nearby guards and a few stray nobles who were wandering about the royal grounds. “ _That_ was your idea of diplomacy?! What you just did- I can’t believe you! You don’t just do and say those things to a _king_!” Luke shot her an irritated look from over his shoulder.

“One, keep your voice down, you’re attracting the attention of every guard around us. Two, I don’t answer to a human king; I outrank everyone here.”

“See, I told you he was going to yell at the king,” Guy shook his head. “This is what I get for trusting you.”

“Oh, excuse you? The king agreed to a ceasefire didn’t he? I’d call that a success.” Luke scoffed as he frowned at him.

“The end doesn’t always justify the means, Luke. What you pulled back there- brutish doesn’t even begin to describe it! That was the most arrogant, disrespectful, lack of any social awareness or tact-“

“ _I’m not human._ ” Luke’s voice came across as cold, and Meryl winced, taking a step back. “You will do well to remember that.” A tense moment of silence followed.

“…H-hey, why don’t we all go get something to eat before we head to the inn, alright?” Guy spoke up, trying to lighten the mood. “It’s been a long trip to get here, and I don’t know about you guys but I’m rather hungry and ready for a meal that isn’t hunted monster- no offense, Luke.” The redhead rolled his eyes. “Meryl, you’re a Kimlascan, do you know of any good restaurants here in the city?” he asked and she went into thought for a few moments.

“How much money do we have?” she asked and Guy pulled out his coin purse.

“Not much. Enough for a room rental at the cheapest inn the city has, I’d bet.”

“What about the money monsters tend to drop?” she asked, her gaze moving to Luke. “I mean, it’s never all that much, but every little bit helps, right?”

“No way, I killed those creatures, the money is _mine_!” Luke tried to assert but Guy was having none of it.

“Luke, right now we need food and shelter more than we need you trying to start a new hoard while on this trip. This is a team effort here,” he stuck his hand out towards him with a stern expression. “Give me the money.” Luke spat a few curses under his breath as he reached into his tunic and pulled out a small satchel that jingled with coins. Guy grabbed it and immediately started counting while Luke crossed his arms and pouted. “Alright this should be enough. It’s only a couple thousand gald though, so nothing fancy.”

“Hm… I know just the place!” Meryl seemed to brighten up.

A small, hole in the wall tavern tucked away in the lower quarter of the commons was where the trio had ended up. It smelled of spiced wine, smoked meats, and fresh bread, a rather welcome reprieve from the dank, acrid smells of the nearby city slums. Meryl practically kicked the door open for them to enter, walking in as if she owned the place with her hands on her hips, her head held high, and a cocky grin on her face.

“Boys, mama’s home!” she announced loudly, and practically all the patrons within raised their mugs of ale to cheer.

“Meryl!”  
“Good ta’ see ya again!”  
“Welcome back to the city!”

“Hey there, sweetheart, how’s yer dad doin’?” an older gentleman seated at the bar asked as Meryl stepped further in.

“He’s fine, Don. We had a… contract that fell through, but we’ll figure something else out,” she smiled sweetly at him.

“Damn shame. Youse nice folks’ been havin’ a rough time since the war broke out. Y’know if there was anything I could do to help-“

“Like we’d want the help of a drunken old man,” she laughed. “The Desert Lions have a reputation to maintain.”

“Ah, you younguns’. Tell yer dad I said hello, will ya?”

“Will do, Don. Enjoy your drink,” she said, gesturing for Luke and Guy to follow. They headed over to an empty table nestled in the far back corner, somewhat away from the other patrons. When seated, both men were giving her quite the skeptical look. “…What?” she asked, looking a bit surprised.

“Nice.” Luke said and Meryl furrowed her brows, now very confused. “That man called you and your mercenary company nice.”

“…Yes?” she tilted her head to the side and Luke slammed his palms on the table.

“You _poisoned_ me!” he practically yelled, which had Guy clapping a hand on his shoulder and giving it a good squeeze to get him to calm down. “You poisoned me, and you were going to ransom me to the royal family- or try and sell me into slavery! That’s not exactly _nice_.” Meryl flinched a little, her expression falling, and her gaze dropping down to her lap as she twiddled her fingers a bit anxiously.

“The Desert Lions is a famed mercenary company that travels between Baticul and Chesedonia,” she began to explain, “We would offer protection to merchants that wanted to travel the desert, and often take on jobs in both cities, for money. We’re rather well liked by many folks in both cities because we always got the job done and quickly. But... when the war happened… travel pretty much dried up, and both cities enacted strict rules discouraging us from finding any gainful employment.”

“So you guys were desperate?” Guy asked and she nodded slowly.

“We’d try to hunt monsters or bandits in the desert for coin, but we’d often end up wasting our supplies which, considering how prices increased ten fold because of the war…” she trailed off with a very heavy sigh, resting her elbows on the table with a solemn expression on her face. “When you showed up in the oasis, it was try to sell you off, or starve.”

“Will your dad and the rest of the company be okay?” Guy looked concerned, something that set Meryl’s frayed nerves at ease and she nodded.

“We’re strong; my father will think of something. He always does.” 

A barmaid came around with a tray topped with mugs of ale and a basket of rolls, setting them down onto the table. “Welcome to the Fiery Carpet, where the carpet indeed does match the drapes,” she then looked over to Luke, a large smirk on her face. Suddenly Luke felt entirely too uncomfortable. 

“Meryl!” he snapped at the girl but she laughed.

“I’m not the one who named this tavern, Luke. You guys asked me for a decent place to eat and that’s exactly what I gave you.”

“First round of drinks are on the house, Meryl,” the barmaid looked back to the blonde. “What can I get for y’all?”

“What do you have?” Guy asked.

“Tonight’s leg of goat. We also have a half slab of beef ribs, braised rappig cutlets, and cabbage stew.”

“We’ll take three bowls of cabbage ste-“ Meryl spoke up but Luke cut her off.

“Two bowls of cabbage stew and one leg of goat,” he said and the barmaid nodded, turning to head off towards the kitchen.

“Luke! Meat is always really expensive in big cities!” Meryl scolded him.

“Meat’s also the only form of food that does anything for me. Do you think dragons can survive eating salads all of their lives?” he asked and Meryl shook her head. “It’s the special anyways, so it’s not like it’ll be as expensive as the ribs or cutlets.” he grabbed at his mug of ale and took a good, long drink.

“Is he always like this?” Meryl asked as she looked over to Guy.

“Always,” Guy muttered, rubbing his now throbbing temples in slow, small circles.

Meal acquired, eaten, and paid for, Meryl said her goodbyes to the patrons of the bar before leading the boys over towards a cheap inn on the far side of the city. It was well into the night by the time they arrived, and when their room was paid for (only enough coin left over to pay for just one bed), Meryl ran into the room and jumped onto the mattress, sprawling herself out.

“Bed’s mine!” she called out like a child.

“Excuse you, you’re the lowest here in our little social hierarchy,” Luke glared at her. “Besides, you owe me for that oh so delicious beverage you gave me earlier.”

“I’m the only maiden here, and it’s rude to force a lady to sleep on the dirty floor!” she scoffed, grabbing the corners of the quilt and rolling herself up in them.

“Skilled combatant and an astute healer, huh?” Luke mused aloud, rolling his eyes. “More like a mooch.”

“Excuse you?” she sat up.

“Whatever, I’m going to take a bath.” he muttered, pulling his shirt off to toss onto the floor. Meryl’s cheeks flushed a bit, seeing his bare torso, but as he turned to head towards the washroom, she caught a glimpse of the large scars that raked across his back.

“…Those have a story to go with it?” she asked, and Luke froze mid-step.

“A-ah Meryl- It’s really not wise to ask those kinds of questions-“ Guy tried to intervene before Luke got angry. Instead of an explosive reaction like he had been expecting, Luke simply remained quiet. His hands had clenched into fists, but he said nothing, instead continuing on towards the washroom. He did slam the door rather hard though, which caused the humans to flinch. “…Yeah, it’s best to just not ask him questions. He gets… moody when he’s had enough.”

“Well, I can see that.” Meryl huffed in annoyance, moving to kick her shoes off to get more comfortable. “But I can ask you questions, right?”

“I don’t see why not.” Guy shrugged.

“So how did you bind him into human form anyways? Magic of some kind? I thought that all magic had been lost.”

“I wish,” Guy weakly chuckled, “at least then I’d know how to undo it and not be stuck with him. It’s actually far less interesting than that,” he tried to downplay it, but Meryl looked far too eager to hear the story. He recanted the tale, describing every detail that had happened the best that he could. Meryl listened intently, absolutely enthralled as the events unfolded and led up to this point. She was left in a bit of a silent awe when it was over, leaving her quietly wishing for there to be more. 

“It’s… almost like the start to some epic adventure. A cursed dragon and a knight, attempting to broker peace between nations while trying to find a counter curse... I would have loved a story like that when I was a child,” she smiled happily, swinging her legs back and forth off the edge of the bed. “But still, I can’t believe this all happened because of that sword,” she glanced over to the blade next to their packs. “Silverlite, dragon’s tooth, and cursed dragon’s blood? How the hell was this thing even made?” she asked as Guy sighed, shrugging.

“I really wish I knew. I get the feeling that the answer holds some sort of key to breaking Luke out of this binding.”

“Call me callous, but I think this binding will actually be good for him,” Meryl said, flopping back on the bed as she stared upwards at the ceiling.

“Oh?” Guy raised his brows at that.

“Yeah. He’s so…” she trailed off for a moment, trying to place the proper words to describe him, “…aggressively arrogant. That hierarchy comment earlier? He needs to be knocked down a few pegs.” Guy weakly chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

“I doubt you’d say that had you seen him in his real form… trust me, it’s terrifying.”

“Maybe so, but my point still stands.” Meryl said as she sat back upright. “Spending time and being forced to interact with us ‘lowly humans’ will probably be a humbling experience, and Rem, does he need it,” she sighed, shaking her head.

About ten or so minutes later, the door to the washroom opened up and Luke stepped out with nothing a towel wrapped around his waist and another towel in hand to dry his hair. Meryl ran her eyes up and down his body and a slight smirk came to her face.

“You know, for a giant, fire breathing lizard, you’re really nicely built. Is uh, all of you human?” she bit her bottom lip.

“Not interested,” Luke muttered, rummaging through their packs to locate a semi-fresh change of clothes. Guy looked up from the pile of blankets he’d been making into a makeshift bed to see Luke’s half-nude form and found himself to be silently agreeing to the statement that he was nicely built… not that he would ever voice that.

“That wasn’t what I was asking,” she said coyly and Luke shot her a glare over his shoulder.

“Just take your fucking bath,” Luke sneered at her.

“Alright, alright. No need to be all pissy,” Meryl said as she headed off to the washroom, closing the door behind her.

“…I didn’t think she’d switch from wanting you dead to wanting you in her bed that easily,” Guy laughed a little, watching as Luke started to dress himself.

“She never wanted me dead, she wanted me incapacitated,” he pulled the tunic over his head, “which, she did a pretty damn good job at that. I forgot how potent rafflesia pollen can be. What I don’t understand is her utter fascination with me. What is it with humans and lust, anyways?” he asked, buttoning up his pants.

“Did you remember to pack the comb?” Guy questioned and Luke nodded, pulling it out of one of their bags to work at the knots in his hair.

“I just mean, she knows I’m not human. So clearly, things would not work between us physically unless she were capable of laying and then hatching several clutches of eggs every few centuries but, yet to meet a human that has that sort of capability.” he was mostly muttering to himself at this point, “And even then, she’s really not my type.”

“You think she wants to have kids with you?” Guy broke down into a laughing fit. “Luke, I’m not sure if this is a new thing for humans or not but, a lot of the times, people aren’t really interested in getting together for children. It’s for the physical satisfaction.” Luke looked outright disgusted at this concept.

“You mean humans mate just for the hell of it?” Guy nodded. “You humans are so-… where the hell is Jade when you need him? At least then I wouldn’t be surrounded completely by you repulsive creatures, even if he is a no good blue...” 

“You know what would have been really great? Jade not having vanished at the oasis and leaving us to deal with the mercenaries on our own,” Guy said somewhat angrily in agreement and Luke nodded.

“I’m loathe to admit it, but I’m a little worried... Where the hell did he even go? It’s going to take us a week to get to Daath by ship without him,” Luke groaned, working at a particularly stubborn knot in his hair.

“Who’s Jade?” Meryl asked as she stepped out of the washroom.

“Another dragon-“ Luke went quiet when he took notice that Meryl had tied her towel in as lewd a fashion as possible. “…Seriously?” he asked and she winked.

“Oh come on, we had such great chemistry back on the wagon, didn’t we?” she teased playfully, adjusting her towel so it was now better secured around her.

“You know that Guy can see and hear everything you’re doing, right?” Meryl looked over at the blond.

“Mm, he’s handsome too, but you’re more my speed,” she laughed, grabbing her clothes from their packs.

“I’ll give you credit for trying, Meryl,” Guy said before snickering. “Or, do you just want to be able to say that you mounted a dragon?”

“-Guy!” Luke’s face flushed a little out of embarrassment. He grabbed the pillow off the bed and threw it at the man with force. “I’d expect that kind of terrible joke from Jade but not from you!” he growled a little. Meryl took notice of his reddened face and her eyes lit up. She rushed over to the bedside and wrapped her arms around him tightly, giving him a good squeeze. “H-Hey! Let go of me!” Luke tried to shove her off but her absolute death grip on him would not budge.

“You’re just too precious! You’re so adorable when you blush!” she nuzzled him happily as Luke continued with his futile efforts to pry himself from her grasp.

“It is kind of cute, isn’t it?” Guy agreed aloud.

“It’s not cute! I am a seven thousand year old dragon-! I should not be putting up with this!” he yelled angrily before finally worming his way out of her arms, accidentally taking the towel with him. Guy sputtered and immediately covered his eyes, his face burning as Meryl stood there in the buff positively unfazed by her sudden nudity. “Fine, keep the damn bed, but don’t you ever touch me like that again!” Luke snapped.

“Alright! As it should be!” she cheered, ignoring her fallen towel to grab at her clothes to dress.

“…When this is all over, I’m sleeping for five centuries and I better not be interrupted.” Luke muttered bitterly. Once dressed, Meryl grabbed her towel and the ones Luke had been using to take back to the washroom when she stepped a little too close to Guy for his comfort. Involuntarily, he jerked himself back, much to Meryl’s and Luke’s surprise. 

“-Eh?” she blinked, looking quite startled.

“I-… s-sorry. I’m… I’m not very good with women,” Guy stammered a little, his heart positively racing. Meryl stared at him, not exactly sure what to make of his reaction.

“That… seems a little more than ‘not very good’,” she said softly, taking a step closer to him only to have Guy back away from her further. Every time she moved near him, he scooted back and looked more and more panicked until he was pressed up firmly against the wall of their room and the colour had drained from his face. “It’s more like you’re afraid of me,” she said, backing off.

“Those were involuntary movements of fear,” Luke stated, watching Guy’s every action with a careful, discerning eye. “You’re not ‘not very good’ with women, you’re afraid of women.”

“What happened?” Meryl tilted her head and crossed her arms.

Taking a slow, deep breath to calm himself, Guy moved cautiously back over to the side of the room to take a seat on the laid out blankets. “I… I wish I could tell you, but I can’t really remember what happened to cause this. There were woods at night, and a voice, I think. Running, too, but that’s it,” he explained meekly, but Luke didn’t buy it. Guy was lying… but Luke wasn’t going to pry like Meryl was. It was not their place to know something clearly this personal, and Guy looked very uncomfortable that this topic had been broached. “Look, it’s really not that important,” Guy tried to brush it off, “I’m okay with women unless they get too close, that’s all. Won’t cause any trouble for our trip so long as you keep your distance, Meryl. I promise,” he tried to laugh but neither of his companions looked convinced. “Let’s just worry about getting some rest... We’ve got a lot to do tomorrow if we plan on leaving for Daath.”

“Meryl, the lanterns,” Luke said as he took a seat on the blanket pile next to Guy. Meryl hesitated for a moment, looking between both the men before she sighed, nodding.

“Yeah, yeah. I got it,” she said, opening up the lantern on the bedside table and blowing out the light within.


	8. Fall

_Gnome Redecan, Loreleiday 24 N.D. 2018_

The next morning was a frantic rush, the three of them having overslept thanks to the drink they indulged in at the tavern and Guy forgetting to pack his mechanical alarm with all of their belongings. It was a scramble to get up, dressed, and gather their things fast enough to reach the port before the ship departed for Daath. Thanks to Luke’s royal colouring, they were able to convince the harbormaster to let them onboard at the very last second, the ship departing near immediately after they boarded. Meryl and Guy were breathing hard, trying to regain their breath after a dead sprint through the city.

“We… made it…” Guy gasped.

“We did…” Meryl nodded.

“Tch. The two of you really need to work on your endurance. This is just sad,” Luke said condescendingly.

“I will personally… make it my mission... to find something… that even you.. are terrible at… and then… rub your nose... in… it!” Meryl wheezed, slowly sinking down until she was seated on the deck of the ship.

“Mm,” Luke wasn’t really paying attention to her as he looked around the deck of the ship. “We’ve got a week before we reach Daath. I’m heading over to the cabins to catch up on some sleep. Do not wake me unless there is an actual emergency,” he said, walking off and leaving them there with the bags.

“I really want to hate him. His attitude is so terrible,” Meryl wiped at her brow, “but gods, is he attractive.”

“He sure is,” Guy muttered in agreement and Meryl whipped her head around to look at him. It then suddenly dawned on Guy just what he had said and a look of horror came to his face. “I-I- that was in reference to his bad attitude!” he tried to explain but failed miserably.

“I’m sure it was.” She grinned at him.

_Gnome Redecan, Loreleiday 31 N.D. 2018_

Those seven days spent at sea went by rather slowly with Luke asleep the entire duration. Without the dragon around to constantly whine or complain, it was quiet and actually rather peaceful. Guy found himself enjoying this bit of reprieve, often standing out on the deck and admiring the open ocean; the salty air, the cold breezes mixed with sea spray splashing his face, there was just nothing else like it. 

Meryl took to hanging around Guy, at a distance of course, which allowed the two of them to get to know each other a bit better. Guy had come to the conclusion that other than being a bit obnoxious and stubborn at times, Meryl was fairly good company. She often had many stories to tell, most of them from her travels in the desert with her father’s company.

As the ferry approached Port Daath, the ship’s horn blared loudly to signal their upcoming arrival. Luke sat up slowly from his bed, rubbing at his eyes as Meryl and Guy were grabbing their bags.

“Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty. We’re here.” Meryl slung a bag over her shoulder as Luke yawned quite loudly.

“We’re here?” he repeated and she nodded.

“Yup. Snap back into consciousness and let’s go.” Meryl ordered, and Guy had to keep himself from snickering as he watched Luke awkwardly fumble back into the world of the living. Hopefully after a week’s worth of straight rest, he’d stop complaining about having to get up early for a little while. Hopefully.

As they exited the ship, they found themselves in shock to see just how crowded the port city was. Many war refugees were fleeing to come to a place of sanctuary and healing, which meant that the place was absolutely packed to the brim. Daath had been the world’s religious capital for thousands of years, and always extended welcome to those seeking haven, and in hard times, it saw a lot of traffic. Damnit, just how bad was this war for so many people to come flocking like this? And they were all willing to brave the Pilgrim’s path to get to Daath- a long, winding, rocky trail that was mostly up a steep hillside, and a prime spot that attracted monsters that liked to pick on weary pilgrims.

“D’you think Jade went back to the camp at the mountain pass?” Guy asked Luke idly, trying to avoid the mass of people around them by carefully weaving throughout the crowd.

“Who knows what the hell happened to him,” Luke muttered, doing his best to keep pace. “Just because we’re both dragons doesn’t mean that I’m his gatekeeper…” he stopped short as a couple of men were blocking his path, refusing to move as they talked. Growing irritated, Luke shoved his way past them rather aggressively and Meryl gasped, quickly apologizing to them.

“Luke! You can’t do that- you have to be more careful! If you start a fight here, the Oracle Knights will deport us back to Kimlasca for instigating trouble,” she chided him, but he ignored her, pushing on until they were finally out of the port and on the path. Thankfully, with so many people fleeing to Daath, there were no monsters to be found anywhere near the trail as they traversed it. Luke often looked around, keeping an eye out for any sort of wildlife, but found there to be none... He then stopped for a moment and closed his eyes, trying to sense their energy presence, but there was nothing. For miles all around them, Padamiya was practically devoid of life save for the humans that were continuously pouring in… that can’t be good.

“Something isn’t right,” Luke spoke up. “It’s too quiet.”

“What are you talking about?” Meryl furrowed her brows. “These refugees are awful loud.”

“No, there’s… there’s something really wrong here but I’m not sure what-“

“Then stop being so paranoid for no reason. We just have to get over this hill and we’ll be in Daath proper,” Meryl chided him.

“It’s probably nothing, Luke. The path has patrols of Oracle Knights that specifically go out hunting for monsters to keep the pilgrims safe. With this many people, they likely upped the number of patrols to be safe, so don’t worry so much,” Guy said with a nod.

“See, Guy agrees with me,” Meryl stated with a huff, resting her hands on her hips. Luke bit his tongue and refrained from saying anything further, continuing to walk along with them. But still… there was a bad feeling settling in his stomach that wouldn’t go away...

The port of Daath positively paled in comparison to the amount of refugees and religious pilgrims that packed the streets in Daath proper. Crowded was an absolute understatement. It honestly surprised Luke, and rivaled Chesedonia’s bazaar in terms of sheer crowd size.

“How on Auldrant are we even going to make it to the cathedral through that?” Meryl asked, trying to discern some way they could squeeze through the near literal wall of people.

“The cathedral?” A man nearby had overheard her. “Sorry sweetie, but the Order has closed the cathedral’s doors for the time being. No one can get in.” Luke blinked, and walked over to the man.

“What do you mean they closed the cathedral?” he asked forcefully.

“Look, sir, I’m just relaying to you what I’ve been told so you don’t waste your time trying to get in there when it’s pointless,” he said with a shrug before turning around and walking off. Luke looked back over to the cathedral, seeing it’s entrance where a mob of people were clashing with the Oracle Knights. If he concentrated hard enough, he could hear the angry shouts of the refugees demanding shelter and guidance from the church.

“This isn’t good…” Guy spoke up.

“Tell me about it-“ Luke stopped, looking down to see a young girl, around thirteen years old with black hair in pigtails. She was wearing a church uniform and was staring up at him rather intently. “…Can I help you?”

“Are you by chance Luke?” she asked.

“…Yes? How do you know my name?” he asked cautiously and the girl smiled broadly.

“Oh finally! I’ve been looking for you and your companion for over a week now! The Divine wishes for you to come to the cathedral immediately!” Luke stared at her for a moment before looking over his shoulder at Guy and Meryl. Well… this certainly was convenient. “C’mon! Ion’s been waiting for ages!” she urged as she grabbed Luke’s hand and started to pull.

“W-wait a minute! Let go of me!” Luke yelled as he was dragged off.

“How could the Divine even know we were coming?” Guy thought aloud. “Did King Ingobert send message ahead of us?”

“Who knows, but we should follow or we’ll lose them in the crowd,” Meryl insisted, hurrying after Luke as the girl continued to drag him through the crowd.

“-You don’t understand how boooooring it is to just wander around looking for someone and not being able to find them for days on end! ‘Red hair, green eyes. You’ll know him when you see him,’” the girl whined as she led Luke out of the crowd and up the stairs that to the cathedral’s grand doors. A couple of the Oracle Knights stepped aside to let them pass, and a few by the doors saluted before they started to pull the massive doors open. As they waited, there was quite an of uproar from the large crowd held at bay. 

“Why do THEY get to go in?! We’ve been here for over a week!”  
“It’s because that one’s a royal brat!”  
“Favoritism!”  
“Bribery!”  
“You’ll take in the rich but leave the poor to starve?!”

Meryl covered her ears, visibly uncomfortable from all of the negative attention, so Luke placed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to reassure her. This took her by surprise, but she was grateful for his concern. “Thank you... I’ll be alright,” She said, uneasily.

“I was only told you were going to have one companion, a blond noble guy. But who’s this?” the young girl asked.

“This is Meryl,” Luke replied, “She’s a companion of ours, and she comes with us,” he said as the young girl eyed Meryl over with serious scrutiny.

“Hm, alright... But only because Ion’s been waiting for so long already.” The doors to the cathedral opened and the girl beckoned them to come inside. A mass of people tried to rush in now that the cathedral was open, but the Oracle Knights held firm and even went so far as to draw their weapons to keep the refugees in line. The four of them hurried inside and the doors were shut behind them, leaving them within the massive, cavernous interior of the cathedral. “This way, this way,” the young girl called out, leading them off to a door on the right. The three of them followed her up a very long flight of stairs that zig-zagged, and then down a couple of nearly identical looking hallways. They stopped upon a series of double doors, which the girl knocked on before opening.

A bedroom, where Jade was sitting a desk drinking tea with another child who looked no older than the little girl next to them. Jade took notice of their presence and set his teacup down, giving an easy smile.

“J-Jade?!” Guy gasped.

“I was wondering when the two of you were going to show up.” He waved, and it took every bit of restraint to keep Luke from walking over and strangling the man.

“You’ve been here this entire time…?” Luke’s voice was eerily calm.

“After what happened at the oasis I knew it was just a matter of time before you would turn up here. Though honestly, Luke, I’m disappointed it took you this long to get here.”

“You could have helped us!” Guy yelled. “For all you knew, we could have been killed by those mercenaries or hauled off into slavery!”

“I knew that you were capable of getting yourselves out of that situation, and look, I was right. How shocking,” Jade said with a fake gasp. “I went on ahead to give the Divine a rundown of our situation.” He gestured to the boy sitting next to him.

“I am Divine Ion.” He stood up from his seat and smiled at them all, “It’s very nice to meet you,”

“…They let a kid rule the entire church?” Luke asked in utter disbelief, only for the young girl to stomp on his foot. “-OW! You little-!”

“Show some respect!” she demanded and Ion chuckled weakly.

“A-Anise, don’t be so forceful.” He tried to calm the young girl to no real avail.

“…What exactly has Jade told you- how the hell do you even know Jade?” Luke went on to ask as Ion retook his seat and sipped at his tea.

“Jade and I have been friends for a few years now. Emperor Peony had him bring some official documents here a few years back and ever since, he comes to visit me occasionally and tells me stories. But he told me about your… disposition,” Luke shot Jade a nasty glare, “and how you all wish to stop the war between Kimlasca and Malkuth.”

“We’ve already visited with King Ingobert and got him to declare a ceasefire,” Guy stepped in. Ion looked quite surprised.

“I can’t believe King Ingobert agreed to a ceasefire so easily, considering the loss of his daughter…” Ion said but Anise laughed.

“Please, he totally let her die.”

“Anise, hush,” Ion said with a bit of force. “Yes, I would be glad to offer the Order’s official support to broker for peace. As I’m sure you’ve seen, every day more and more war refugees flee here for support and safety... but we’re at our limit. It breaks my heart that we have to turn those in need away, it goes against every one of Yulia’s teachings.” Luke went wide eyed.

“How do you know that name...?” he asked, barely above a whisper.

“Who’s Yulia?” Meryl questioned quietly as Anise shrugged.

“It’s something my predecessor taught me.” Ion said, grasping at the holy symbol draped around his neck.

“That’s not something that _any_ human should know,” Luke said through grit teeth as Jade stood up and placed his hand on the redhead’s shoulder.

“Calm down. What’s important is that we have Daath’s official support for the peace efforts. Ion, would you be so kind as to draft up official summons for both his Majesty King Ingobert and his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Peony?”

“Yes, right away.” Ion nodded. “It'd be best if they came here for the peace talks. Daath would be a perfect neutral location,” he explained and Anise groaned.

"Boooooo, that means we'll have to set up extra guards to make sure nobody thinks about pulling anything. Extra protection, clearing out the city streets for their safety. It's going to be such a pain,” Anise whined a little and Ion frowned.

"Anise, please. Could you speak with the captain of the guard to get this arranged?" Ion asked and once again, Anise sighed audibly.

"Fine. But only because you asked, Ion."

While everyone else was lost in the celebrations for the Order giving their official backing, Luke pulled Jade aside for a moment to speak privately. “Please tell me I’m not the only one feeling totally on edge?” he asked under his breath as Jade nodded.

“I feel it, too. It’s been like this since I’ve arrived, but I haven’t been able to pinpoint the cause. I’m not sure what’s going on.”

“We were walking up the pilgrim’s path to the city and there was not a single monster to be seen for miles... all the wildlife is gone.”

“That isn’t good. Keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary-” Suddenly there was a loud, sickening metallic groan before the entire cathedral began to shake violently. The ground swayed beneath them, the humans crying out loudly as they failed to keep their balance. Luke took hold of the wall with his claws to keep steady, reaching out with one hand to grab onto Guy. “-Hold onto something!” Jade yelled, gripping the door jam. A few moments later and the shaking came to a stop, furniture overturned, and the humans down on the floor in a heap.

“What the hell was that?!” Anise asked as she pulled herself up to her feet. “Ion! Are you okay?” The boy rubbed his head slowly.

“Yes, I’m fine...” he said weakly.

“An earthquake...?” Meryl asked uneasily as she got up, looking around.

“No… no that’s not right,” Luke said, releasing Guy from his grasp. Screams rang from the outside and echoed loudly through the hallways as the ground began to shake again with even more intensity. “OUTSIDE! NOW!” Luke yelled as everyone scrambled to exit the cathedral.

“Is Mt. Zaleho erupting?!” Guy shouted, trying to keep himself upright as fierce tremors made sure footing impossible. It was the only thing that made sense in this area- the church had been built near the base of a volcano, but Mt. Zaleho had been classified as dormant hundreds of years ago!

Down the stairs and to the doors they ran, seeing the famed stained glass windows lay shattered on the ground, with a few unfortunate clerics laying motionless beneath. It was utter pandemonium; refugees and citizens screamed as they ran in circles, trying to find some sense of safety and order as the ground continued to quake, never ceasing. Large cracks and crevices opened up in the ground, chunks of land raising and sinking drastically. Luke and Jade then both froze, colour draining away from their faces as they finally realized _what_ was wrong. 

“...The gateway’s collapsing!” 

There was a deafening rumble before out of the thick crevices and cracks emitted an intense, blinding light, and the ground began to crumble away, taking everything, including the people, with it.

“There’s no time, I’ll get us out of here!” Jade shouted, barely audible over the terrified screams of the masses falling through the maw.

“You can’t carry us all! And the dividing line will drag you down!” Luke shot back. “There’s no way!” 

They were all going to die here...

“We’ll have to land on Eldrant then!” Jade said, quickly changing form then and there on the cathedral steps. “Hurry!” 

Luke, torn between fulfilling his duty and actually surviving this nightmare, hesitated for a moment before ushering Meryl, Ion, and Anise onto Jade’s back. Guy was halfway up onto Jade’s back when the ground beneath the blue dragon started to break away. Luke staggered backward, trying to keep steady, but the ground broke away completely, and he began to fall.

“-LUKE!” Meryl screamed, clutching onto Jade tightly as the dragon took to the skies to keep from falling as well.

“JADE! DO SOMETHING!” Guy shouted, trying to pull himself up onto Jade’s back, but the blue dragon lurched as another large chunk of ground was upheaved, and Guy lost his grip.

“GUY!” Meryl reached out to snatch his arm before he could fall. Her fingers just barely grazed the fabric of his sleeves and she watched with horror as Guy plummeted down into the abyss that was once Daath. “-GUY!”

A scream tore from his throat, arms and legs flailing wildly as he tried to look around for something to grab onto. He was terrified, he was going to hit the bottom of this pit at some point and it would all be over…! He was going to die…. he was going to die…!

Guy continued to fall for what seemed like an eternity, until he could feel some sort of force slowing his descent until he was hardly moving at all…! He whipped his head around, shocked at what he was seeing! Large chunks of land, debris, and people were all floating! They were floating! He continued to look around, trying to locate Luke somewhere in this mess. “-Luke! Luke can you hear me?!” Guy shouted frantically.

“-Guy!” Guy’s eyes trained downwards and he could see Luke a little further below him.

“-Luke!” he called out loudly, the redhead looking up at him with panic on his face.

“Guy!” Luke reached his hand out to him, which Guy strained to reach. His fingers just barely touched, this mysterious force that kept them suspended making it near impossible to move. Their fingertips brushed, and with a bit of force, Guy was able to push forwards and grab Luke’s hand tightly.

“I got you! Don’t let go!” Guy brought his other hand down and clamped it onto Luke’s wrist tightly.

“Do you think I’m an idiot?!” he shot back, noticing how some of the large chunks of land were beginning to pick up acceleration again.

“Do you really want me to answer that?” Guy asked.

“Not now- we’re almost past the dividing line! We’ll start to fall again!” The force that had been supporting Luke started to wear off. “Hold on!” He clutched Guy as tightly as he possibly could. The two of them started to freefall once more,trying to maneuver midair to avoid the debris raining down on their heads.

“If you can break through the binding, now would be a really good time for that!” Guy yelled over the rushing wind.

Luke racked his brain, trying to figure out some way to get out of this. He couldn’t manifest his wings, couldn’t possibly hope to break through the binding- it was just too strong! 

As the end of their fall was finally in sight down below as land rushed up to meet them, Luke had exhausted all options except for one.

Gods have mercy on them.

“LORELEI-!” Luke screamed, and in an instant the world turned golden.


	9. Princess of Song

_Gnome Redecan, Lunaday 34 N.D. 2018_

Darkness… How long had everything been so dark...? 

An intense ringing in his ears drowned everything else out, making it difficult to concentrate or pull any of his thoughts together into order. The ringing was loud, but the jingle itself was comforting and very familiar…

_..os…ula..ki.._

Who…? 

Oh gods, his head was positively killing him!

Luke let out a low groan as the ringing died down, allowing him to finally think. What… what happened…? Green eyes opened slowly, everything around him tinged with gold for a few moments until it dissipated and he was left with blurred sights that he couldn’t quite place. It was dim, wherever he was… and some kind of rough surface? He twitched his fingers and tried to feel his surroundings, finding that he was laying on his side against a cold floor.

“-Ah! He’s waking up!” A voice… Anise’s. That… girl from Daath...

Daath…?

Panic completely overtook Luke in an instant and he forced himself upright to his knees. Dizziness had him stumbling back, landing on the ground with a bit of a thud as his head swam. That ringing returned and dampened the voices of concern around him.

“C-careful! Careful!” Meryl bent down and placed her hands on his shoulder and back, trying to keep him steady. “Don’t push yourself so hard.”

“W-where…?” Luke muttered, completely lost in a daze. He failed to recognize anything save for the humans that were gathered around. He could see Meryl, Anise and Ion… Guy-? Where was Guy? Luke looked around and located the blond, as well as Jade, on the ground next to him. The both of them were still unconscious. 

“We don’t really know. We woke up here ourselves a while ago.” Ion said softly, and it was then Luke looked over and took notice of the thick metal bars blocking the only exit to the room they were in. 

A jail cell?

“Whoever locked us in here took all our stuff! Weapons included!” Anise cried out, throwing her hands up into the air. “Like that’s any fair!”

The reality of their situation had finally sunk in for Luke, and it was a devastating one. He brought his hands up to his mouth, and then up to smooth back his hair before he grabbed at it. That panic was now back, and this time much fiercer. “This is a disaster…!” he practically whimpered. “Lorelei is going to kill me!”

“You’re damn right this is a disaster! Daath blew up and… and I’m not sure what really happened after that!” Anise cried out loudly, stomping her foot.

“-it’s absolutely forbidden to have humans set foot on Eldrant’s soil- a gateway’s collapsed… I’m sealed off in human form, I am a complete failure!” Luke ranted dejectedly, shaking his head as he stared down at the stone floor. “I deserve whatever punishment Lorelei has in store for me…”

“Luke- calm down.” Meryl said, gripping his shoulder tightly. “What is this about ‘Eldrant’? We heard Jade say it before you and Guy both fell.” Luke took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself down in order to give a proper explanation.

“Auldrant, as you know it… it’s an artificial construct created by the gods, floating above the real surface of the world. Eldrant,” he gestured around him, “is the real world.”

“You honestly expect us to believe that we’ve been living on a thin layer of dirt in the sky?” Anise scoffed as Luke pointed upwards towards the ceiling of their cell.

“Do you remember how we fell?” he asked a bit harshly. “Look, Auldrant is supported by a system of mana trees known as gateways- we dragons guard the various gateways to keep residents of Auldrant and Eldrant from mixing. For _some_ reason, the gateway beneath Padamiya collapsed, and practically took the entire continent with it… Something cataclysmic happened to it; gateways just don’t collapse like that...”

“We’ve really been living over an entirely different world?” Meryl asked with wide eyes. “Why…? Why do you guard these gateways? Why are we and Eldrant barred from each other? Why is this all such a big secret?”

“Magic had to go somewhere when humanity was deemed unworthy, didn’t it?” Luke asked somewhat sarcastically.

“Y-you mean it didn’t just disappear?” Meryl gasped, completely shocked. Before Luke could answer, a low, slightly pained groan escaped from Guy and he finally started to stir. Meryl moved over without thought and tried to help him sit up but it was met with disoriented, terrified yelps and uncoordinated jerky movements in an attempt to get away. “O-Oh! Sorry… I’m sorry, Guy. I completely forgot…” 

“Ow, my head…” the blond moaned, grabbing at it. “It’s-... it’s alright, Meryl,” he then looked around, looking just as confused as everyone else here. “Where… are we? What happened?”

“Daath collapsed. You and Luke fell through the ground before you could get on Jade’s back. Jade… he tried to find you while you fell, but he struggled so much to keep us from being hurt,” Ion spoke up, looking to the still unconscious man on the floor. “He hurt himself instead…” A makeshift bandage made from torn cloth was tied to his side over angry looking bruises. He was likely bleeding internally... 

Well, not like Luke particularly cared about the blue dragon anyways...

“It was insane!” Anise threw her hands up in the air. “You and Luke were engulfed in this super-bright light and then everything around you like, stopped falling! You practically floated down onto the ground from there! We didn’t get so nice a landing,” she explained, rubbing her rather sore rump.

Guy was about to ask for further clarification when the sound of a door opening silenced all of them. Footsteps could be heard echoing from down the hall, as well as some voices speaking in a completely unfamiliar language. Luke looked panicked and he forced himself up to his feet, ignoring the dizziness to move over to the thick metal bars.

“Luke-” Guy spoke up with worry but Luke looked back and gave him a harsh glare.

“ _Do not talk._ ” he hissed, turning back to face the bars as a couple of bodies stepped into view. Two men, dressed in highly ornate gold and silver plated armor with full faced helmets, making it impossible to see just who they were dealing with.

“Ana’ri shola, baseth. Ba’lam oré sha’nul,1” one of them spoke up, looking at Luke and then the rest of the group behind him.

“Belesa menoor,2” Luke replied, and the two guards took a step back, greatly surprised that Luke could speak to them in their native tongue, “thälas man shin’du.3”

“Sha’amoor ara mashaal?4” The first guard did not sound pleased.

“Nan. Sel’maa amor’dal. Anu al feldo’min.5” Luke said in a rather serious tone. “Thalas’din belore’na. A’aria sh’oa fel manséth de’monal.6”

Both guards looked hesitant at one another, before looking back at Luke. They both then dropped down to one knee, deeply bowing their heads to him. “Bah’tei sheth, Ban’Dinoriel7. We had no way of initially recognizing you,” they swapped back over to the common tongue. 

“That is through no fault of your own. You were taking necessary steps to protect your city,” Luke replied. “Stand.”

The guards stood, keeping their heads bowed as they removed their helmets. When they looked back up at Luke, the humans in the cell stared wide eyed at their captors; elongated, pointed ears, softly glowing eyes of vivid colour, tattoos of elegant design emblazoned on their faces. They were elves…!

“I need to speak with her highness immediately,” Luke stated and they nodded, one of them pulling keys out to unlock the bars.

“Yes, of course. Her highness is anxious to receive news of the maw.” Luke sighed heavily, dragging a hand down his face as he looked incredibly worried. How the hell was he going to explain this when he didn’t even know what caused the collapse?

“What about us?” Anise spoke up and Luke looked back over at them. He brought a hand up to smooth his bangs back, laughing weakly as his bravado started to crack.

“Damn it, I wish Jade was conscious… I really don’t know how to handle this…” his hands were trembling. Guy and Meryl were speechless; Luke was so uncomposed here, bordering on what looked like a panic attack.

“Luke-” Guy started but the redhead shook his head and held a hand up.

“I’ll figure something out… just, stay here for the time being. I’ll go talk with the princess and _try_ to sort things the best I can.” Meryl’s eyes lit up just a tad.

“An elven princess?!” She clasped her hands together, looking positively delighted by the prospect.

“You’re just going to leave us here?!” Anise snapped rather loudly, bringing Meryl’s thoughts back to reality.

“We are _exceptionally_ lucky that the elves didn’t outright kill us for surviving the fall.” Luke snapped right back at her. “Humans are _never_ supposed to set foot here. I can’t guarantee any safety if you step out of here until I talk to the princess. So just… just stay here, and I’ll come back for you.”

“After the nonsense you pulled in Baticul?” Meryl scoffed in disbelief. “Luke you have _the_ worst diplomacy skills I have ever seen!”

“-that was different! This is… just, please, I… I _need_ you to trust me.” Luke practically begged her.

“Did… did you just say ‘please’?” Meryl asked in slight shock and Luke groaned, his shoulders slumping. Guy stepped forwards and gently placed a hand on to Luke’s shoulder, giving him a firm nod.

“I trust you.” he said, and Luke stared at him for a long moment before a weak smile came to his face.

“I trust you, too.” Ion nodded as well, stepping forwards.

“Thank you… I promise, I’ll be back as soon as I am able.” he spoke, trying to keep his voice as calm as he could. Luke turned to face the guards, giving them a quiet nod before walking out of the cell. One of the guards closed the bars behind him, taking one final moment to eye the humans locked within the cell carefully before following along with the redhead. As Luke and the elves walked away, a rather deafening silence filled the air now that they were alone...

“I’ve never seen Luke like that before…” Guy muttered as he crossed his arms and shook his head. “That look of fear on his face... I honestly never thought there could be anything that would make him that scared…”

“He…” Meryl trailed off for a moment, “I can’t even begin to imagine what’s going on through his mind with all of this,” she then looked down at Jade, his head gently propped up on his folded military jacket. “And he still won’t wake up…”

“Do we have any idea where we actually are?” Guy asked.

“Jail,” Anise replied curtly. “Elven jail, specifically.”

“Luke said something about us coming to ‘Eldrant’, the world that was hidden away beneath our own.” Meryl said, wringing her hands together nervously as she looked around their small jail cell. “I really don’t want to believe it but…”

“Well, we’re stuck here until Luke talks things over with this elven princess,” Anise said with a heavy sigh as she sat herself down, shaking her head. “Oh sure, it’s fine. We’ve only been stuck here for three days... What’s a little longer?” she asked sarcastically.

A low sigh escaped from Jade’s lips and all eyes turned to the man. Slowly, his eyes opened up, and Meryl breathed a heavy sigh of relief. “Oh thank the gods- I didn’t have any herbs to work with in here but I managed to bandage your side with cloth from your jacket. You should be okay if you don’t move.” she said but Jade paid her no heed, forcing himself to sit upright despite the sharp pain. He held a hand over the injury, a soft, blue glow illuminating the area before it died down and the large, angry bruising had disappeared.

“Whoa! Was that magic?!” Anise asked as she stood back up with widened eyes.

“Yes, it was. A simple healing spell to be rid of that positively dreadful pain,” Jade then paused taking a look around at their surroundings. “Oh dear, this isn’t very good, is it? Gailardia, I’m most disappointed in you.” he looked over at the knight.

“Wha- me?! I just woke up!” Guy sputtered.

“Maybe so, but I still can’t help but to feel that this is somehow your fault.”

“I really liked you better when you were unconscious…” Guy muttered as he ran a hand back through his hair. “Luke went off to go talk to some elven princess and we’ve been told to wait here.” Guy offered, trying to get Jade up to speed but the dragon paid little attention as he glanced about their cell.

“Which would mean we’re in Yulia city, perfect,” he muttered as he pulled himself up to his feet. Rather than try to answer any of the humans questions, instead Jade wandered over to the bars and muttered a small incantation. The bars vanished entirely, leaving their cell wide open. “Let us get out and enjoy some fresh air, hm?” he asked with an easy smile.

“But… Luke said that he couldn’t promise us safety if we left,” Ion said cautiously.

“Nonsense. You are in the presence of a Ban’Dinoriel8 after all,” Jade smirked, his horns and claws appearing as his eyes changed- much to their surprise. 

“Wow, colonel. Your exterior finally matches your horrible, demonic interior,” Anise chided and Jade laughed.

“Naughty children get left behind for the elves to play with~” And what truly scared Anise was that she couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.

Out of the dungeons and into the city, Guy and the others found themselves speechless and stunned as they viewed what had to be absolute paradise. There was beautiful, elegant, foreign architecture that spiraled up into the sky with golden trimmings and ruby swirls; lush, colourful trees that bore exotic fruit unlike that of any on Auldrant; elven people, dressed in fantastic, luxurious clothes and jewlery walked through the streets- all of them lithe, ears long and eyes aglow.

“Wow-! This place is so pretty!” Anise cried out, catching the attention of practically every elf within the area. They looked _greatly_ startled at her and the others’ presence, and many of them fled the area as a result, leaving the previously packed street nearly empty. Anise frowned and rested her hands on her hips. “Wow, talk about hospitality.” Jade chuckled as he walked up behind her.

“Elves are seclusive. They don’t typically engage with races outside of their own. Besides, none of them have seen humans before-” a small squadron of guards came rushing over to them with their weapons drawn.

“Baholt!9” One guard shouted. It took one harsh glare from Jade for them to all back off immediately, dropping their weapons onto the ground before bowing down to him. “Ma’sef, Ban’Dinoriel! Ma’sef.10”

“Dile’mune, baseth. Dore’ki thalas mun?11” Jade asked and the guards stammered for a moment.

“Dore’ki… min felo shan’daar-12”

“Most excellent,” Jade grinned rather wickedly which made the guards shrink back a little bit. “You will be escorting us to the palace now. It’s no fun if Luke’s the only one that gets to talk to the princess, is it?” he asked, looking back at the group. Meryl looked positively thrilled.

“Do you always have to bully others in the most unnerving ways to get what you want?” Guy asked with a sigh and Jade smirked at him.

“I have no idea what you mean.”

“Of course you don’t.”

The group of elven guards escorted them through the large, sprawling city. The roads twisted and turned organically with the land, leading them to a magnificent palace that lie within the center of the city. It towered over the rest of the buildings; grand and captivating, in a way very similar to the castle in Baticul. An ivory staircase led them into a foyer decorated with silken tapestries and small, tightly manicured gardens. Meryl was positively enchanted by everything around her, and Anise practically had to drag her to keep her from wandering off or getting left behind. Double doors at the far end of the main hallway opened up to reveal the throne room, where Luke stood at the foot of the throne, speaking to a young woman.

Young in appearance, the elven princess looked no more than sixteen. She had the most beautiful brunette hair that trailed down to her waist, and her eyes a stunning blue that glowed brightly. The tattoos on her face were equally as regal, resembling the white flowers that had dotted the miniature gardens within the palace.

“...If I might be so bold,” Luke’s voice could then be heard, “should I receive the Seven’s blessings, I would like to formally petition the elven people for help in investigating the gateways.”

“Absolutely,” the princess nodded- her voice so pure and beautiful, like a spoken song.

“It may require passage to Auldrant,” Luke warned and the princess hesitated for a moment.

“...Should the Seven grant their blessings, I will pledge aid. It is not my place to question the gods-” she paused, looking past him to see the approaching guests. Visibly, the princess was on edge, seeing the humans so close. Luke turned to see them and then started to panic.

“W-what are you doing here?! I thought I told you guys to stay put!”

“We couldn’t allow you to have all the fun, now could we?” Jade asked and Luke groaned. “Dore’ki,13” Jade bowed his head to the princess, “How lovely to see you again.”

“And you as well,” she nodded back, relaxing a little at the familiar face.

"This is her royal highness, princess Mystearica Aura Fende Jue." Jade introduced, and Ion blinked.

"Are you perchance related to Yulia?" He asked, hope on his face.

"...Yes, I'm her direct descendant." She said a little uneasily. "...How did you know that?"

"I am Divine Ion, leader of the Order of Lorelei. Although Yulia was an elven priestess, her wisdom and teachings have been passed down from Divine to Divine."

"Ion... you never told me any of that!" Anise exclaimed, feeling a bit betrayed that Ion wouldn’t trust her with such important information.

"It was confidential to the order." He weakly laughed but Anise frowned.

“I take it that Luke here has informed you of the collapse?” Jade asked and the princess nodded.

“Yes- though, how could a gateway collapse? That’s the one thing I don’t understand...” she crossed her arms and looked conflicted as Luke sighed heavily.

“We don’t know, either. That’s why I was here asking for help.” Luke muttered.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to speak with the Guardian of that gateway?” she asked and Luke froze, his hand immediately reaching up to clutch the locket around his neck tightly. “Who was in charge of it?”

“...Revak’Kii,” Luke answered lowly and Jade looked over at him with a quirked brow.

“Your brother?” he asked with mild surprise. “He’s never been one to make light of his duty, so whatever happened, he must have tried to stop it.”

“Luke has a brother?” Guy asked, taken completely by surprise at this fact. Luke had always been so selfish and spoiled, Guy had just assumed that he had been an only child. The thought of family had never even occurred to him.

“A twin,” Jade corrected, and it dawned on Guy what the hair within the locket was, what it meant. Suddenly he felt terrible for being so callous about it back in the cave, even if he had been ignorant.

“I need to find him.” Luke said, letting go of the locket.

“How are you going to do that with no wings?” Jade asked. “Before anything else, you need to go to the temple and-”

“I _need_ to find him. The gods can wait a little longer.” Luke replied harshly and Jade sighed.

“Alright, it’s your punishment.” He shrugged and Luke grew angry.

“Did you forget that you’re a guardian, too? I swear, Nephry took her duties way more seriou-”

“Do not _ever_ speak of her again, do you understand me?” Jade hissed, his gaze narrowed. Everyone was visibly uncomfortable by just how serious Jade had become in a split second.

“Then start doing your damn job!” Luke snapped at him. “You might be older than me but I still outrank you. Remember your place, blue.” It grew quiet- painfully so. The princess stood up from her throne and cleared her throat as she smoothed out her dress.

“If you need help organizing a search party, I would be more than happy to assist. We can lend a couple of halla and aravels to make the journey faster.”

“That would be most appreciated, your highness.” Ion said with a bow.

“Please, you may call me Tear.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Back away, prisoner. You will get hurt.  
> 2 Try me,  
> 3 I am quite familiar with elvish.  
> 4 Is this some sort of trick?  
> 5 No. No trickery. I am a dragon.  
> 6 We pose no threat to the kingdom. We merely fell through the maw.  
> 7 Forgive us, Gatekeeper.  
> 8 Gatekeeper  
> 9 Halt!  
> 10 Praise, Gatekeeper. Praise.  
> 11 Rise, child. Where is the princess?  
> 12 Her highness... is within the palace-  
> 13 Princess,


	10. Quiet Moments

“If you are to be investigating the site of the maw, I would very much like to accompany you personally.” Tear said and the two dragons looked at one another a little skeptically. “If something happened to disturb the mana flow to the gateways, it might be something that could happen to the others. This would greatly endanger my people- I need to see for myself.”

“Well, it’s not like we can really stop you,” Luke muttered as he ran a hand through his hair.

“My- it’s… it’s an honor to have an elven princess with us,” Meryl said with awe and reverence in her tone, mixed with a slight hint of envy. Who wouldn’t be envious of a woman who dripped of elegance and had the status to match it? “My name is Meryl.” she said with a curtsy, bowing her head.

“I’m Guy,” the knight introduced himself. “Welcome to the group, Tear.”

“So like, what are you going to do by coming with us?” Anise asked rather callously and Ion gasped.

“Anise!” 

“I mean, hi, I’m Anise Tatlin. How are you gonna help us?”

“Please, don’t mind Anise, your highness. She’s not exactly the most tactful…” Ion sighed and Guy snickered.

“I think she can see that for herself.” he mused aloud and Anise pouted, resting her hands on her hips.

“What? I’m just being practical. Sure she’s got the title, the pretty face and the nice body, but-“

“Anise!” Luke shot her a warning glare.

“Speaking pragmatically, what do _you_ do for us, Anise?” Meryl asked and Anise whirled around to face the blonde, a frown on her face.

“Boo! I’m Ion’s personal guardian and protector! It’s my job to keep the Divine safe in the face of danger as ordained by the church! What is it that _you_ do?”

“I’m an archer and a studied healer!” she replied back but Luke snorted. “And just what was that?”

“Raflessia pollen extract.” Was all he said and Meryl’s cheeks flushed bright red.

“Well- I never!” she huffed, balling her hands up into fists.

“My, humans are so… lively.” Tear said a bit nervously. “I understand your concerns, though. I am a studied mage: destruction, illusion, conjuration, restoration, alteration- I am a master of every school of magic. Guardians, although very powerful, can only master one school of magic. I would help fill in any gaps.”

“Destruction,” Luke raised his hand before pointing to Jade, “Illusion.”

Anise didn’t look too convinced. “Hmm… Luke, you sure you’re not letting her come along just because she has an impressive rack?” Tear’s cheeks flushed darkly. Luke reached over and grabbed one of Anise’s pigtails, giving it a good, hard yank. “-OW! Watch it, Luke!” she stomped on his foot and he snarled at her.

“I am so sorry, your highness,” Luke said, looking down at Anise with a harsh glare.

“Such disrespect…!” Tear gasped.

“You see? Anise, apologize to-“

“Not to me! To you!” Tear said and Luke paused, looking at her with confusion on his face. “The Guardians are our protectors and servants to the gods- they must be treated with the utmost respect!”

“…I forgot what it felt like to be actually worshipped,” Luke caught himself grinning.

“Don’t let that go to your already big head,” Jade sighed and Luke growled.

“Shut it, old man.”

Guy chuckled softly and tried to steer the conversation back towards something useful. “Your skills with magic sound most impressive, Tear, but we don’t exactly know a whole lot about what magic really is.”

“If what I’ve been taught is accurate,” Ion spoke up, looking a bit thoughtful as he cupped his chin with one hand, “destruction is elemental magic, illusion is just that- deceiving the eye- conjuration would be summoning, restoration would be healing magics, and alteration is altering things.” Guy let out a long whistle.

“That is pretty incredible if you’re a master of all that,” he said and Tear smiled a little.

“So, what exactly is our first course of action then?” Meryl asked as she looked from Luke to Tear to Jade.

“I think it’s a bit late in the day to begin any search parties,” Jade said and Tear nodded.

“Agreed. I can provide you all rooms here in the palace for the night and tomorrow we can begin our investigation bright and early.”

“I don’t like that we’re waiting…” Luke said as he shifted weight from foot to foot.

“I know that you’re antsy about Asch, Luke, but it’ll be dark soon, and it’s a long way from here to Daath’s ruins.” Jade said and the redhead sighed, nodding.

“How can it be getting dark if we’re technically underground?” Anise asked and Jade held out his hand, a small ball of light forming.

“Magic, my dear.” he said, the light vanishing. “Now, let’s all go get some proper rest.”

“I’ll have the servants show you to your quarters,” Tear said as she clapped her hands and a couple of maids came rushing in. “Please, any guests of the Guardians are welcome friends here.” 

One night in the elven palace with a bunch of excited humans. What could possibly go wrong?

They had been given two guest rooms in eastern wing: Meryl, Ion, and Anise in one room with Luke, Guy, and Jade in the other. Both rooms were expansive, lavishly decorated and overlooked a shared internal garden that housed those white flowers the elves seemed so fond of. They were all given fresh new clothes, the girls especially loving their new elven attire as they danced around their room and pretended to be royalty, much to Ion’s amusement.

Guy gratefully took a long, hot bath, glad to have some time to actually _relax_ , especially in the lap of luxury. Mineral water, scented soaps, oils and perfumes, silken clothes to change into, the grand bed he would get to sleep on tonight… He almost felt a little homesick, thinking back to Hod and how all these trappings made him really feel like a noble again.

Dinner consisted of plates of food being brought to their rooms via servants, a wonderful spread of succulent meats, honey bread, vegetables and fish. Once they had their fill, the rush of excitement had worn off and left them all exhausted. It was entirely too easy for them to climb into those massive beds and drift off almost instantaneously. All save for Luke, who spent a good portion of the night tossing and turning, failing miserably at falling asleep. 

Finally giving up out of frustration, he got up from his bed and exited the guest room without much care for noise, jarring Guy out of his slumber. The knight sat up quickly, catching a glimpse of the redhead as the door shut. What- where was Luke going? Curiosity and a bit of worry got the better of him and he pried himself out of the comfort of his bed to follow, being a bit more careful to not try to further wake his companions.

Luke had wandered out into the shared garden between rooms, taking a seat on the bench as he stared out at nothing in particular, letting his mind just wander. Guy silently observed from behind for a few moments before daring to set foot in the garden. “Kind of unlike you to not be able to sleep,” he tried joking lightly, hoping to show that he didn’t mean to intrude if he wasn’t welcome. “You okay?”

The familiar voice snapped Luke out of his thoughts and he he looked over his shoulder to see Guy standing there. His first initial response to the new presence was to be annoyed, but he bit his tongue and forced himself to relax. There was really no point in getting angry. “I’m fine, just… worried,” he sighed heavily, taking a moment to scoot over on the bench to offer the extra space for Guy to sit down, the blond happily obliging. “A lot’s happened the past two and a half weeks… enough to make your head spin. Can’t believe I went from a nice hibernation in my cave to _this_.” he sighed, his hands tightly gripping the fabric of his tunic.

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Guy laughed as he looked around them. “I think we’ve all learned some pretty mind blowing things these past 24 hours-“ Luke rolled his eyes, placing his elbows onto his knees as he leaned forwards a bit.

“You were never supposed to know about this and look where we are… Lorelei is absolutely going to kill me if the stress doesn’t first.” He muttered, shaking his head. “I _hate_ that you saw me like that earlier.”

“Like what?” Guy questioned and Luke grew irritated.

“Looking weak! You saw me looking weak!” he snapped as he looked up at the blond. “I hate that you saw me like that so much!”

Guy blinked, a bit surprised. “Luke-… your reaction earlier was completely normal. If I were in your position I think I’d be, justifiably, terrified, too. You’re… relatively young for a dragon, right?” Luke nodded, “There was a lot of pressure on you to explain what you could to Tear and try to negotiate our safety, but you managed. You succeeded despite the fear and pressure,” he smiled, gently placing his hand on Luke’s shoulder.

“You’re… attempting to reassure me.” Luke stated as he looked at the blond. “…I… thank you… I guess,” he mumbled, averting his gaze down to the flowers in the garden. “…Thank you, for what you said earlier, also.”

“What I said?” Guy tilted his head to the side.

“That you trust me. I… didn’t know how much I needed to hear that until you said it.”

“You’re welcome,” Guy chuckled, withdrawing his hand to settle it back in his lap. “I mean, given how much you hate humans, I was really surprised at how you went above and beyond to try and keep us safe from the elves.”

“I’ve come to… tolerate your presence in a non-aggressive manner.”

“I’m glad we’re friends too.” Guy grinned.

“I never said that!” Luke grew a bit flustered, his cheeks tinted the faintest shade of pink as Guy snickered a bit. “Fucking humans…” he spat bitterly.

“Is that all you were upset about?” Guy asked but Luke shook his head slowly, his expression falling.

“No, I’m… I’m also really worried about my brother. We were inseparable when we were whelps but... when we were tasked with guardianships we were given assignments on opposite sides of the planet. I haven’t seen him in thousands of years... And the collapse-“ his shoulders slumped. “I’m just… really worried.”

“Do you think he might have been injured or killed in the collapse?” Guy asked and Luke flinched, his face looking grim. That light hearted atmosphere between them had dissipated in an instant.

“I don’t want to think like that… I know I should brace for the worst but-“

“Then don’t think like that. Put it out of your mind and wait until we get there to see what happened.”

“Easier said than done, human.” Luke exhaled slowly, shaking his head.

“Your brother, Jade said his name was Asch, right?” Luke nodded. “I’m sure if he’s as stubborn as you are, I doubt he’d let anything harm him. Seal him, maybe,” he joked, trying to brighten the mood again but it didn’t seem to do the trick. “I’m sure he’s alright. We’ll find him tomorrow, okay?” he said, but Luke didn’t reply. They fell silent for a few moments until Guy spoke aloud, “Maybe if I give the sword to the elves, they could find some sort of magic to unseal you…”

“I’m sure they’d love to take a look at your sword. It undoubtedly has a fascinating history behind it.” he paused, looking down at his left palm to see the scarred flesh. Maybe it was just the lighting here but the area seemed to look more purple than before… “Sooner or later I’ll figure this binding out and will break it.” he said softly, sticking his hand out. A small flame flickered above his palm from out of thin air, before Luke weaved it between his fingers and across the back of his hand. Guy watched this, absolutely mesmerized as Luke finally could perform his pyromancy.

“I thought your magic had been sealed!”

“It has, but I’m able to draw on the abundant mana in Eldrant to compensate.” he extinguished the flame. “I’ve been learning how to get along without most of my power, though it’s been a bit easier as of late,” he kept his hand out and summoned his claws and a large patch of red scales that took up nearly most of his hand. “Maybe I’m successfully breaking through it a little at a time, or maybe the magic is starting to wear off, or it could be that with a gateway weakening and collapsing, mana was leaking into Auldrant and being a dragon, I absorbed it. Or maybe it’s because I finally trust you, too.” he let that slip by without thinking, and it was Guy’s turn to blush a bit.

“I-…” he cleared his throat and tried to regain his composure, “I wouldn’t know about anything magical.”

“I’m just speculating at this point. I have no idea myself.” Luke said before pausing, looking thoughtful. He lowered his hand and then closed his eyes, concentrating for a few silent moments. Black horns appeared from the sides of his skull, jutting out through his hair as if they had always been there. Guy blinked and scooted back a little, eyeing the horns carefully from a distance. He could remember how they looked on Luke back when he was a full dragon- how _terrifying_ Luke had been back then, but now…

“I saw Jade do this back in the cell… Are they bone?” Guy asked, his gaze still transfixed on the horns, his hand reaching out to touch. Luke looked wary at first, but relented and allowed the human to brush his fingertips up against the surface of his horns. Might as well, humans were always just so damn curious. Besides, it’s not like Guy had ever actually done anything to harm him.

“Yes, it’s bone. Just- be careful…” he flushed a little as he could feel Guy touching him. 

“They’re pretty smooth despite the ridges,” Guy spoke before giving one a slight squeeze to test the hardness. “Wow, they seem really strong.” Not that he should be all that surprised, they were a dragon’s horns and dragons were nothing to shake a stick at. He placed a finger pad at the sharp tip and knew that if Luke decided to toss his head back he’d be losing this finger. “Can I see your claws, too?” he asked a bit eagerly.

“Y-yeah…” Luke’s voice was… oddly tight and forced. Guy quirked his brow and looked over at Luke’s face to find the redhead’s complexion was horribly flushed- so much so that he looked like he was running a fever! 

“A-are you alright?” Guy asked, completely startled and Luke buried his face in his hands.

“I shouldn’t have let you done that, I should not have let you done that…”

“What… touch your horns?” Guy furrowed his brows and Luke nodded. “…That wasn’t something that was like… sexual, was it?” 

“Gods, no!” Luke gasped as he looked at him slightly horrified. “No, no! It’s… it’s not like that but it’s still something that’s really intimate…” he mumbled that last bit, dismissing his horns and claws as he tried to ride out the mortification with grace and dignity. Guy stared at him for a moment before he burst out laughing.

“Why would you let me do that then?” he snickered and Luke grumbled, looking away.

“…I forgot.” Guy started to laugh even harder.

“How could you possibly forget something like that?” he wheezed and Luke was growing angry.

“It’s not like I’ve ever had a mate before!” Luke yelled before standing up, his hands clenched tightly into fists. “I’m going to bed!” he spat before turning heel to storm out of the garden. Guy was left sitting on the bench clutching his sides as he tried to stop his fit of laughter.

Why? Why was he so horribly worked up over something so stupid? Luke internally kicked himself over and over for failing to handle that with any tact. It was just to let the damn human sate his curiosity but… he couldn’t shake this lingering, transient feeling of happiness in the background. Those curious touches had felt so nice, and remembering them sent a few shivers down his spine- he caught himself indulging in the memory and promptly slapped himself in the face to snap out of it.

No.

There was going to be _none_ of that.

Luke walked back into their guest chambers and found Jade to be sitting upright at the edge of his bed, a rather smug smirk on his face. “Someone had some fun, didn’t they?” he teased and Luke’s face burned a dark red.

“S-strin vok, wuth jul!1” His voice cracked, and Jade couldn't help but to laugh himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 S-Shut up, old man!


	11. All That Remains

_Gnome Redecan, Efreetday 35 N.D. 2018_

When Luke awoke it was late into the next morning, the artificial sunlight of Eldrant spilling in through the open archways and pooling on the bed and floor. He opened his eyes slowly and sat up, looking around blearily to see that the room was empty. Where did the others go…? He yawned loudly, and took a couple of moments to stretch, humming pleasantly as he did. It wasn’t every day that he got to wake up on his own terms as of late, might as well enjoy it. He pulled himself out of bed and dressed, exiting the guest chambers to somewhat aimlessly wander the royal palace in search of his companions for a little while. Thankfully a guard pointed him in the right direction, taking him over to a dining hall on the far side of the palace where everyone was located. They were seated at a long table that held the most impressive spread of food: roasted and glazed meats, candied nuts and fruit, spiced cider- his mouth was watering as he took it all in!

“Ugh, finally!” Anise’s voice promptly ripped Luke away from his gluttonous lust and he looked over at the girl. “We’ve been waiting for you for over half an hour!”

“You guys could have woken me up, you know,” Luke replied as he took his seat at the end of the table. He grabbed a plate and then reached out to take a couple slices of glazed rappig meat for himself, shoving one into his mouth.

“Jade wouldn’t let us. Something about you needing sleep after… last night’s events?” Meryl asked inquisitively with a raised brow and Luke choked on the meat he was chewing, beating a hand to his chest to cough it back out. Jade just sat there and grinned at the boy’s expense.

“Just what the hell did you tell them!?” Luke practically shrieked, slamming his palms down onto the table as Jade mockingly laughed.

“That even dragons aren’t immune to the rush that is young love.” Jade sighed and Anise smirked, giving Luke a partial side eye.

“So… you and Guy, huh? I thought you didn’t like humans.” She snickered and Luke started to growl.

“I _don’t_!” Anise giggled mischievously.

“Sorry, Luke. I tried to tell them they’re just being ridiculous but they won’t listen to me,” Guy offered in apology with a small, halfhearted smile. Jade could only shake his head.

“You’re an involved party and merely trying to cover for him, thus we can’t take your word on it.”

“See what I mean?”

“It explains why you have no interest in me,” Meryl sighed with annoyance, crossing her arms. “I think your exact words from the wagon were ‘trust me, that’ll never happen’?” she jabbed as she looked at the blond.

“Come on, guys. _Nothing_ happened. Honestly.” Guy tried to coerce them but it just seemed impossible to sway them. Sighing heavily, he decided to turn his attention to something else that they could all focus on, something a bit more constructive. “What about what we’re going to do today? Do we have all the things we need? Do we know where we’re going?”

“Don’t try to change the subject,” Anise threatened as she pointed her fork at Guy. 

“Anise…” Luke narrowed his gaze at her and the girl relented, backing off.

“Fine, fine. You’re right, important stuff. But we expect details at some point."

“There _are_ no details!” Guy groaned, making a grab for some of that spiced cider. It wasn’t even noon and already he needed to drown his problems away. The rest of today was going to be long and hellish, wasn’t it? 

“We should really wait for Tear to arrive since she will be accompanying us,” Jade spoke up, “but the condensed version is: we’re headed to the site of the collapse to search the ruins and see if we can find some clue as to why it collapsed. If my theory is right, this is something that can spread to the other gateways and cause the rest of the outerlands to fall.”

The whole group fell silent at that thought… the whole world collapsing? Everyone on the outerlands would surely die in that kind of a fall…!

“What’s your theory?” Meryl asked but Jade shook his head.

“I don’t want to say anything until I know for certain. It would be something that would cause serious panic in the elves. There’s no need to bring up trouble if it’s not true.”

“We’re also going to be combing over the ruins to see if there’s any sign of my brother. If anyone would have insight as to what caused the collapse, it would be the dragon that was there when it happened.”

“Wouldn’t he be… I mean, if he got caught up in the collapse…” Anise really didn’t want to finish her sentence when she saw Luke’s expression go dark.

“ _Do not talk like that_ ,” he hissed, looking far more serious now than he had been in the entire time they had been traveling together.

“If we find any idea on where your brother’s gone, how are we going to be able to get to him? Like, what if he went back to the outerlands?” Guy asked to which Jade was the one to reply.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. We may not need to worry about that. It’s possible he was dragged down like we were and managed to keep aloft long enough to survive. Slim, but possible.” Luke’s grip on his fork was so tight the handle started to warp.

Thankfully, the princess soon entered the dining hall and all attention was drawn to her. “Anu belore del’ana,” she greeted them cheerily, a content smile on her face. “I hope your rooms were suitable.”

“Yes, thank you so much for your hospitality.” Meryl said, grateful to steer the conversation to somewhere less fraught. “Your home is simply stunning.”

“Your words are too kind,” Tear smiled warmly at her before taking her seat at the table next to Luke. “So, what were you all discussing?” she asked and the table fell silent as Luke frowned. “…Oh, should I not have asked?”

“No, your highness,” Jade said with a sigh. “We were discussing what our plans were for the day. Yesterday you said you’d lend us halla and aravels, correct?”

“Yes, though I’d imagine that the halla would not be anywhere near as fast as flying, my Guardian," she said but Jade closed his eyes and shook his head.

“No, flying’s not an option right now. I strained myself too hard when the collapse occurred.” Tear opened her mouth to offer her healing powers but Jade spoke before she could, “It’s not something that can be healed with traditional magic. I just need to rest for a few more days.”

“What he said.” Luke muttered, keeping the details that he was currently sealed off on a need-to-know basis. Elves revered dragons almost as highly as they did the gods themselves, and if they learned that he had been sealed off, they’d likely kill Guy for it even if it wasn’t his fault, and that was something that was just not an option.

“Well, the halla will have to do, then. Though, with an aravel it’ll slow us down significantly… It’ll likely turn into a three day trip at that rate.” Tear said, looking a bit perplexed. “And if we’re to be looking for the source of the collapse as well as the guardian of that gateway, I’d imagine time is of the essence.”

“Which is why I wanted to leave yesterday,” Luke muttered as he crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat.

“Your concerns had been noted, Luke.” Jade said with a sigh. “We all agreed it would be safer to travel during daylight.”

“How long would it take to travel to Daath’s ruins without an aravel?” Meryl asked. “Also, what’s an aravel... and a halla?” Tear chuckled.

“An aravel is a type of cart used to haul supplies or housing on long trips. My people used to be nomadic thousands of years ago back when the dwarves ruled these lands.”

“Dwarves?” Anise furrowed her brow.

“Yes, although they’ve died out, and for good reason. Their technological advances were a threat to the gateways.”

“It was a lot of fun.” Jade grinned.

“Oh that’s right, you’re ancient enough to have participated in that,” Luke mused as he rested his cheek on his palm. 

“You destroyed an entire race…?” Ion asked with a bit of worry and Jade waved his hand dismissively.

“Only when it was mandated, which was just on the dwarves. The orcs outright destroyed themselves with a rather nasty civil war.”

“Gods, that took place way before the dwarves even crawled out of the earth. Just how old _are_ you, anyways?” Luke asked and Jade frowned.

“Come now, Luke. It’s rude to ask such questions in front of polite company. Where are your manners?” he jabbed at the boy. “To answer your other question, Meryl. Halla are a type of stag that are very nimble and sturdy, much more reliable and faster than regular horses. We should be there within two hours without anything to pull.”

“Is it really wise to not take any supplies with us?” Meryl questioned. “We don’t know what we’re going to find out there.”

“We’ll just have to take what we can carry ourselves. Three days is not an acceptable option,” Luke replied, setting his fork down.

After breakfast was eaten, they dressed and restocked their supplies. The group exited the palace and headed off to the stables where the stable master greeted them. He brought forward the halla; magnificent creatures with large and powerful legs that were still somehow slender and graceful, their heads crowned with horns that spiraled upwards and formed the most beautiful of patterns. They looked like something straight out of a fantasy book. Meryl found herself gasping at their beauty, bringing her hands up to her cheeks as her eyes positively sparkled.

“These are halla,” Luke said, approaching one of them. He extended his hand out and started to scratch it under its chin, and the beast chirped happily in response. “Who’s a good little halla? So much nicer to me than those stupid horses back at the army camp.”

“I almost feel like some sort of mythical forest princess knowing I’ll be riding something like this…” Meryl said as she eyed one of the halla who made a honking noise as it shook its head.

“Considering that the halla are viewed near holy and that only the royal family has the privilege to use them now, you should.” Luke said, now scratching the creature behind its ears.

Guy moved up to one and reached out tentatively and slowly as to not frighten it, then ran his hands gently up over its head. He marveled silently at how soft this creature was, feeling its hair beneath his fingertips. With one last touch, he moved to mount the halla and settled atop it with a bit of awkward shifting- none of them were outfitted with any saddles of any kind. Riding was definitely going to be a challenge. "Always pictured myself as a knight riding a white horse, never thought it'd be something this majestic instead."

"You do look sort of like a knight," Anise said and Guy's brows furrowed.

"I am a knight."

"Yeah but you lack the finesse. Maybe it's because your armor doesn't match the halla. You look like you plundered that thing like a renegade or something."

An audible groan left Guy as Jade mounted his own halla and looked to the others. "If you're all done acting foolish, are we ready to finally head out?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Luke said as he hopped up onto his halla, gently kicking its sides so it would turn around to face everyone else. “Here’s the plan: we’re going to ride to the wreckage and then dismount half a mile away. We want the halla to be safe so that we can get back; we don’t know what we’re going to find out there.”

“Alright,” Tear nodded, giving her halla a sharp kick to the sides. It reared back, emitting a rather unattractive screech before taking off, leaping and bounding great distances with each step. The others followed after.

“For such majestic creatures, these things sure don’t sound pretty!” Anise laughed as she clung to Ion, the two of them sharing a mount due to their smaller size. Ion was grasping onto the animal tightly, looking a little green.

From the moment that they took off, Guy had to promptly adjust to the way that the creatures moved. It wasn't the same sort of fluid steps like a horse, but there was a pattern to it that he could adjust to. "I don't think even the Highland purebreeds are as fast as this!"

Meryl clung to her halla rather awkwardly as well. As they rode, she watched Tear riding the halla side saddle with such poise... Meryl tried to copy that herself, only to find that she would fall off if she dare attempted. “These things are so fast!” she cried out, clutching onto the creature for dear life.

“I warned you that we would be there in two hours,” Jade said.

“Careful, Meryl,” Guy teased.

“I’m fine, Guy!” she huffed as her cheeks flushed, clearly embarrassed to be spotted in her attempt to mimic Tear. Who could blame her? The woman was unfazed by the halla’s unusual movements and rode with absolute grace unlike the rest of them- save for Luke and Jade, but they didn’t quite count. 

Half a mile out from the ruins, the halla came to a stop and everyone dismounted. Meryl threw herself to the ground and practically kissed it. “Oh sweet solid ground…!” She sighed softly as Anise quirked her brows.

“The ride wasn’t _that_ bad,” Anise scoffed and Meryl shot her a bit of a glare.

“Come on, the wreckage should be just over there.” Jade motioned for them to follow.

They didn’t have far to go now, but what would they find beyond the corpses of those who perished? Hopefully Luke’s brother was not among them but… Guy looked over at Luke and a sinking feeling came to his stomach. “We… should be prepared. This isn’t going to be pretty.” Guy sighed heavily, steeling his nerves. The group went silent and nodded. Remnants of what was once Daath would be hard to stomach.

As they neared the expanse of rubble, Guy noted that a lot of the debris was scattered loosely at this point- the real mess was further ahead. “Luke, where exactly would your brother have been on Padamiya normally?” he called out as he rounded a large chunk of what was either a road or a wall, he couldn’t be sure.

“Mt. Zaleho, the lucky bastard.” Luke said a bit sarcastically. It was true that Luke had been extremely envious of Asch when he had been given that glorious lava paradise and he had been stuck with a barren mountain pass but, given the collapse, Luke suddenly found himself grateful for his position.

“Did the volcano even fall yet?” Guy thought aloud as he looked around. Everything looked the same, this search was going to be a nightmare. Given just how much was here it seemed like the whole of Padamiya fell through. For Luke’s sake, Guy hoped that wasn’t true, he knew what it was like to lose family and it was a pain he wouldn’t wish on anyone. No- there was no time for ill thoughts now. Asch may have very well been fine.

They began their search, sifting through the debris to find nothing of any real use or value. It wasn’t until Anise and Ion could identify bits of the rubble as pieces of the cathedral and Daath’s center square that they finally got somewhere. The two children scrambled up a large chunk of rock, ready to continue their exploration when they both completely froze and Anise screamed. The others soon came rushing over, and what lay before them was truly only described as horror.

Bodies.

Thousands upon thousands of bodies littered everywhere. Crushed, mangled, impaled, torn and burned, they were piled on top of each other and the smell was sickening. Meryl gasped and brought a hand to her mouth to keep herself from retching.

“This is awful…!” Meryl squeaked, shaking her head.

“All of those humans…” Tear barely managed to whisper.

“And this could happen to the rest of the world…” Ion said grimly, forcing himself to look at it, to look at the devout who had come to him for guidance that he had failed to protect. “There must be something I can do- something to help…” Ion muttered with worry, a cold sweat clinging to his body. All of these people-

“All we can do is pay our respects to them by making sure no other land falls,” Guy explained, gently patting the boy’s shoulder.

“You’re… you’re right. We can’t do anything for those we’ve lost, but we can save the rest from meeting the same fate,” Ion declared firmly. “We cannot allow any more land to fall…”

“Well… it’s going to.” Luke said grimly, looking upwards at the gaping hole in the sky. “The entire continent collapsed. With no mana tree to support the surrounding lands, they’ll soon fall as well.”

“Closest gateways to here are Mt. Roneal and the Meggiora Highlands,” Jade brought a hand to his chin as he went into thought. “Keterburg and Sherridan are both in danger of collapse next if my theory is correct…”

“Can you reinforce the gate for Mt. Roneal?” Luke asked.

“I can most certainly try.” Jade sighed, looking back out to the grisly scene.

“Who’s the guardian of the Meggiora Highlands gate?” Meryl asked, looking to Luke and Jade. “Could we ask them for help? But that would mean getting back to Auldrant somehow…”

“Oh please, I do not want to deal with that scatterbrained Ginji,” Luke rolled his eyes as he rubbed at his temples. “One blue is hard enough to deal with as is. And Ginji?” Luke scoffed, resting his hands on his hips, “How he, of all dragons, got chosen for gate duty is beyond me.”

“You’re one to talk,” Jade muttered and Luke frowned.

“I was _created_ for this position, Jade. That’s more than can be said for you.” Luke hissed.

The banter and conversation died down after that, their thoughts and energies focusing back on the task at hand. The search continued in a grim silence. They had to carefully step around bodies that seemed endless in number. The longer they were there, the harder it was to look at. Meryl had to stop, the sight of so much death and destruction just too much for her to bear, so she retreated back towards the halla, opting to watch over them instead.

No one could blame her, and no one stopped her.

They split up a little into smaller groups, fanning out to comb over the ruins. Of course, no one found anything useful and it was starting to wear on their nerves. Guy used all of his strength to push a large wooden wall up and was relieved to find no more human bodies, just a dead dog and crushed food amongst the rubble. The last twenty minutes he had found nothing but the corpses of children… and gods, he would never be able to scrub those images clean from his mind.

Luke was growing restless and impatient, kicking at smaller chunks of debris. There wasn’t anything to be found here beyond bodies and rubble. No signs of whatever caused the gate to collapse, no signs of his brother…!

“Luke!” Jade’s voice called out and Luke perked up a little. He started to make his way over to the man, being careful with his footing as Jade was standing atop a large pile of loose debris for a better vantage point. When he pulled himself onto Jade’s level, he looked at the man only to find his face entirely solemn and… sad.

Oh, no…

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, and Luke felt everything inside him _break_. He slowly turned around to look out at the ruins and he started to tremble.

“N-No…” Luke’s voice was strained and he shook, “No that… that can’t…!” Hot tears rolled down his cheeks. Jade’s arms wrapped around Luke tightly to keep him from running off directly into the wreckage. “Vos bo do zey!1” He raised his voice into a yell, “Vos bo! TOL LOS DII ZEYMAH!2” He screamed, thrashing in Jade’s arms but the older man refused to let go.

“Til los nid tol hi vis dreh! Kii los nusaan!3” Jade’s voice cut into him like a sword and Luke’s knees buckled beneath him. He crumpled to the ground and wailed loudly, sobs that echoed across the ruins.

The destruction laid out before them looked no different than all else they had searched, sans the glint of red scales crushed beneath the fallen land.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Let go of me!  
> 2 Let go! THAT IS MY BROTHER!  
> 3 There is nothing you can do! Asch is gone!


	12. Awakening

“Oh no…” Guy said quietly when he heard Luke sobbing in the distance. That wasn’t good, that was really not good. He made his way over to see Luke crumpled onto the ground with Jade standing next to him. The corpse of a red dragon lay not too far ahead, half buried beneath the rubble, and that cemented it: Luke’s brother had not survived. He looked down at the redhead and felt his heart ache at the pain in Luke’s voice, the slouch of his shoulders, the absolutely broken aspect of his being… Guy was all too keenly aware of how _awful_ it felt to be the surviving party.

“Luke…” Guy murmured as he crouched down beside the dragon, gently draping an arm around his shoulders as he pulled him in for a partial embrace. “I know there’s nothing to say that could make any of this better, but… I’m so sorry that this happened.” Luke squeezed his eyes shut tightly and started to hyperventilate. Guy dropped his hand down to his mid-back to gently rub in small, soothing circles before looking up to Jade. “How do dragons honor their fallen?”

“We don’t,” Jade said, voice firm as he looked at the sight before him. “Dragons aren’t supposed to die, as such we have no rites or traditions for each other should a comrade fall." He looked down at Luke, who had sobbed himself hoarse. 

The noise and commotion had drawn both the children and Tear over to them to see what had happened. Tear wanted to weep, seeing a slain guardian that had died in the line of duty, and for the anguish of the one that had survived. Anise and Ion were speechless and unable to provide any real support. What could one say to someone in a situation like this? There were no words that could convey how they felt, words that could console the sobbing redhead who was now leaning into Guy’s embrace, shaking.

“He died performing his duty,” Tear finally managed to say, her throat feeling tight. “Lorelei is sure to be watching over him in the fon belt now.”

Luke’s head immediately snapped up, a look of hope and desperation on his face. He brought a hand up to rub at his eyes as he forced himself to stop crying before abruptly standing up. “I need to get to the temple immediately! There’s still a chance…!”

The temple…? Well, if there was some reason Luke was so desperate to get there, Guy was in full support of it even if he didn’t quite understand it. “Jade, do you think you could manage to get Luke there? He shouldn’t be too heavy for such a short distance.” Jade shook his head.

“I am grounded from flight for a while, Gailardia. Tear,” he looked to the princess and she nodded her head, “please escort Luke back to the grand temple via the halla. I need to stay here and help everyone else continue their search.” Tear then glanced over at Luke.

“Let’s just go!” he urged, taking off into a run back towards the halla. Tear sputtered and scrambled to catch up to him.

“W-wait! Wait for me!” she called out, struggling to keep up.

“Jade, why did Luke want to go to the temple?” Ion asked.

“Yeah he… just sort of abandoned his brother here.” Anise said a little morbidly, looking over at the dragon’s corpse.

“Luke and Asch aren’t like normal dragons. They…” he paused for a moment, trying to find a way to explain it. “They were created directly by Lorelei _from_ Lorelei himself. They are both tiny pieces of Lorelei given shape and form. It’s very likely that Lorelei hasn’t yet reabsorbed Asch’s soul and can still return it.” All of their eyes widened.

“So Asch can come back?!” Anise asked and Jade nodded.

“It’s certainly is a possibility, though I can’t say for certain. It’s difficult to tell what the gods will or won’t do sometimes.”

“I hope that they will then… Nobody deserves to see their family like that.” Guy said grimly before sliding down the embankment to take a closer look at Asch’s remains. Perhaps there was some form of clue, some indicator as to what happened… if he could find _anything_ that would prove useful to their search… maybe Asch had been doing something, protecting an item that was really important or… gods, he didn’t know! This was all so frustrating!

“Will Lorelei really give Asch life again?” Ion asked as he looked up at Jade curiously. “I understand that dragons are meant to be eternal but does it really work like this, lose your life and be brought back upon request?” Ion asked Jade as Anise headed off to join Guy.

“That’s a difficult question to answer Ion,” Jade said as he brought his hands around behind his back. “This is, obviously, a special case. Anything involving those two is a special case.”

“They’re really pieces of Lorelei?” Jade nodded. “That’s… to think I’ve been in the presence of Lorelei this entire time.” he weakly laughed and Jade snorted.

“He might be a fragment of Lorelei, but he is his own person, as is his brother. You will find that godlings are very… sensitive about this topic, so it would be best not to bring it up around them.”

“Alright.” Ion nodded. “I’ll make sure to let Anise know, she can be… difficult at times.”

Guy flipped over what looked to be nothing more than a piece of rock and obsidian from the volcano and still found nothing of any real use. With a heavy sigh, he wiped the sweat from his brow only to hear the sound of hoofbeats in the distance. He turned and saw a halla quickly approaching, Tear on the back of it. She hopped off its back and looked around in an obvious panic before her eyes found the blond.

“Guy!” she called out, looking rather winded after her sprint to catch up with Luke. He furrowed his brows and straightened up, looking at the elf.

“Everything okay?” he called out but she beckoned him with a hand.

“Luke is- please, he said you had to come!” Guy looked confused for a moment but he headed over to her, climbing up and over the rubble. Tear got back onto the halla and extended her hand out to help Guy on behind her but he shook his head and opted to run.

“What’s going on?”

“We made it back to the halla and were prepared to go when suddenly he doubled over clutching his hand. The injury… I couldn’t heal it with my magic! Meryl is trying to treat it and stop the pain but Luke was adamant that you come.” His hand… oh no, the binding!

As quickly as he could, Guy ran that half mile until Meryl, Luke, and the other halla were in sight. He was quite breathless as he slowed down, his breathing labored and his brow covered in sweat. “What’s- Are you alright? What happened?” he managed to ask in-between gasps for air. He looked down to Luke’s left hand, seeing that the scar had… spread?! It was far bigger than it had been before, and the entirety of his palm was practically purple! What… how?! He stared at it for a few moments looking horrified, actively _watching_ as it continued to spread.

“Oh thank the gods you’re here!” Meryl said, clearly looking panicked. “I have been trying _everything_ I know to stop this. Not even Tear’s magic worked! It obviously has something to do with that sword of yours!” she pointed out and Guy’s gaze fell to the sword strapped to his hip.

“I don’t know what- how… I didn’t-“ he stammered, at a complete loss for what to do. This was some kind of curse, a type of dark magic; _magic_ , something that humanity lost access to who knows how long ago, so it was not like Guy knew some secret cure that could fix this!

“Damnit-! Just cry already!” Luke shouted angrily before whimpering as he grasped his hand tightly. Guy blinked.

Right-! Virgin tears could heal dragon wounds!

“Meryl,” Guy said and the blonde looked up at him. “I need you to hug me.”

“…What?” she asked, positively baffled by the request. “But I thought you were-“

“Exactly. You’re strong, you’re going to _need_ to hold on until I start to cry. It shouldn’t take long.”

“I.. well, if you’re sure.” she said, standing up. She didn’t feel all too great about this, but if it would help… Meryl stepped around behind Guy and gave him a moment to mentally prepare himself. She then jumped him, wrapping her arms around his torso tightly and she grasped hold of her wrists, creating a secure grip to ensure that she wouldn’t be thrown off him. 

Instantaneously Guy went rigid before he started to violently thrash, trying to get away from her. Tear backed up and watched with a mild look of horror on her face. When Guy was unable to shake Meryl, he instead shifted into a paralyzed, trembling mess that whimpered pathetically. Tears were welling up in his eyes, and the moment Meryl saw them roll down his cheeks, she let go and backed off as fast as she could.

Guy practically collapsed down onto the ground, and it took a few moments to recompose himself, but he moved over towards Luke and allowed the redhead to press his palm up against his tear-streaked cheeks. Luke gasped and stuttered, the sound of hissing coming from his palm as the wound started to heal and his body could finally relax. That horrible pain finally abated…

It then dawned on the both of them that, in the almost three weeks they had been together, that was the _one_ time Luke had dared to try and go off on his own. This binding was more than either had previously thought… Luke wasn’t just bound to human form, he was bound to _Guy_.

“Are you alright?” Tear asked Luke, watching him pull his hand away from Guy’s face. He nodded mutely, forcing himself back up to his feet slowly. “That was binding magic… are you bound to that human?” Tear asked and Luke nodded again. “How? Why?” Her voice was now cold and harsh.

“It was an unfortunate accident, nothing more,” Luke said as he looked down at his palm, seeing the unsightly, massive scar that now took up practically his entire left hand. “I haven’t been able to assume my draconic form or access most of my power since it happened. Looks like I can’t physically leave his side, either… Guy, you’re gonna need to come with me,” he said a bit tiredly, looking over to the blond. Before Guy could say anything, Tear had a dagger pointed at Guy’s throat.

“Release him, now.” her words were harsh. Meryl drew her bow and readied an arrow, aiming at Tear, though gods she did not want to. “He has a duty to the gods, not to you, you unworthy human.”

“Drop your weapon,” Meryl demanded but Tear paid her no heed, pressing the blade of her dagger against the flesh of Guy’s throat.

“Release him.” Tear repeated, her gaze narrowing.

“Ba’she! Dore’ki van’lu ano’bor sheth!1” Luke hissed at her and Tear looked over at him.

“Man’dul fah soulra man’do- balkorei sin’dos fu-2“ The look Luke gave her sent shivers down all of their spines. Tear immediately withdrew her weapon and sheathed it, and as such, Meryl did the same, placing the arrow back in its quiver before slinging the bow over her shoulder.

“ _Never_ draw your weapon on him again. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Ban’Dinoriel3… forgive me.” she dropped down onto her knees and bowed her head deeply.

“Apologize to Guy, not to me.” Luke sneered. The elf reluctantly looked upwards, seeing Guy standing a good few feet away from her with a hand up protecting his throat, looking rather wary of her.

“Thera mandalas.4" She bowed deeply to him. “Nephanis asto’re rei5. I am sorry.”

“It’s… It’s okay,” he said uneasily, much to Meryl’s surprise.

“Guy! She just tried to kill you!” Meryl practically shouted.

“She was trying to help Luke,” Guy asserted, clearing his throat as he straightened himself out a bit, trying to regain his composure. “Dragons are sacred to elves, I’m not surprised she reacted the way that she did, especially given the warning Luke gave us back in the jail cell.” Meryl blinked, recalling Luke’s words of how lucky they had been the elves didn’t outright kill them. “I _want_ to undo the binding, Tear. I have no idea how to, though, or where to even start looking.”

“…Alright, I believe you.” Tear said, standing back up, dusting her riding pants off.

“Now, let’s stop wasting time and get back to the city so I can get to the damn temple!” Luke said impatiently, turning to step towards his halla. His vision blurred and he misstepped into Guy, his head feeling dizzy.

“Luke!” Guy exclaimed as he tried to steady the redhead. “Are you alright?”

“That binding really did a number on me this time…” he shook his head, looking back at his palm.

“I don’t think you’re in any condition to travel right now,” Meryl said with worry. “Not unless a halla can handle two people for that distance.”

“Yes, the halla were originally bred to help pull wagons and heavy cargo loads for long distances. The times may have changed, but the halla are still very hardy and strong.” Tear nodded, offering to pull Luke over to her halla but Luke shook his head, dismissing her. “Are you sure?”

“You don’t have the strength to keep me upright the entire ride.” he said, leaning rather heavily on Guy for support (and greatly appreciating it). “I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” His attempts to reassure the elf didn’t seem to be going over well as her expression had not changed.

“I don’t trust that-“

“Tear, drop it. We’re going back to the city, now.” he said harshly, the elf flinching back a bit. With Guy’s help, Luke was able to mount the halla, the blond then pulling himself up in front of the redhead to give Luke something to hold onto for support. It was probably due to the scar but, for some reason, he just felt safe whenever he was around the knight. Time and time again, Guy had demonstrated his loyalty and bravery- and Luke found himself silently hoping deep down that maybe one day he could possibly return the favor. 

Tear exhaled slowly, looking over to Meryl who had been eyeing her cautiously the entire time. “You were not afraid to defend your comrades even if it meant attacking me. I admire that. You’re quite strong.” Meryl’s cheeks then flushed a bit out of embarrassment.

“I-I…” she stammered, unsure just how to respond to that.

“Tear!” Luke’s voice caught the attention of the elf and she turned to face him. “Get on the halla and _let’s go_.”

“Right,” she nodded, hurrying over to her halla and jumping up, mounting the beast swiftly and with absolute grace.

When everyone was secured on their halla, they took off back towards the city, racing as quickly as their halla could stand it. The city was in their sights within an hour and a half this time around, and just beyond the walls, Luke could see the palace’s grand spires, and further behind, the top of the temple. When their halla stopped, Luke jumped off and ran to the gates. “Asha’na!” he ordered and the gates began to open. “Ashi’la shor ba man’a, anu bel’store.”

“Ai!” the guards at the gate saluted to him. Tear looked over at Guy and whispered a rough translation.

“He’s letting the guard know the others are still out there and to let them back in safely.”

“He’s pretty fed up with humanity but, I have to say, he takes good care of his friends.” Guy crossed his arms and smiled a little. 

The gates opened up fully and Luke wasted no time hurrying on in, Guy and Tear following after as Luke made a beeline for the temple. It was a grand building, at least as beautiful as the palace. A spiraling staircase lead up to the temple’s entrance, ruby red double doors guarded by two soldiers, both heavily armed. They let Luke pass no problem, as well as Tear, but when Guy approached, their weapons were drawn and pointed right at him.

“I… take it I have to wait out here, then?” Guy laughed a little nervously.

Tear eyed him for a moment before she said a command to the guards and they lowered their weapons. “You may enter, but mind yourself and do not say anything,” she said sternly, the guards stepping aside to allow him passage.

Within the temple, it was rather simple despite its exterior appearance; elegant in design but minimalist compared to the rest of the city. The inside was like an indoor garden, very akin to what was located within the royal palace, although in here there were streams that flowed freely throughout the vegetation, spiraling in intricate patterns that tied the temple together nicely. In the center of the temple, a large, almost crystal like structure of glass jutted out of the ground, deep green and blue in colour- unlike anything found on the outerlands.

Luke hurried over to that giant glassy structure, pressing his hand up against the smooth surface. Golden symbols appeared beneath his fingertips, swirling around randomly before disappearing and new ones forming. He stood there, motionless, reading each and every letter that presented itself to him with worry and hope. For several tense minutes he remained this way, until the sequence of symbols he had been looking for finally appeared, and relief flooded through him so thoroughly every single muscle in his body relaxed all at once. It felt like he could finally breathe again after holding a breath for so long.

High above his head, a small flame appeared midair, flickering brightly despite its size. Luke extended his hands up towards it as it started to descend, nearing him. The moment Luke came into contact with it, a bright light enveloped the room completely. 

The party’s search results at the site of the collapse had been for naught, none of them finding anything of worth or value despite their efforts. Jade had ordered everyone to return to the halla when a strange noise sounded in the distance, unlike anything they had heard before.

“What was that?!” Anise asked in panic, making a grab for her mace.

“It could be a survivor?” Ion asked. Highly unlikely, but what else could that noise be? They rushed off towards the source and only found the corpse of the dragon, flesh turning to embers and ash that blew away with the breeze, leaving nothing behind but the skeleton.

“W-what just happened?” Anise stammered and Jade turned heel.

“It seems Luke’s attempt to bring Asch back has worked. Come on, there’s nothing left for us here. We should go back and wait until he’s lucid enough so we can ask what had happened.”

When the light died down, Luke was sitting on the ground cradling an unconscious young man that looked exactly like him in his arms, tears of joy streaming down his face.

“Valokein rigir…! Valokein rigir!6” he wept, burying his face into the crook of Asch’s neck as he embraced his brother tightly. After a couple moments, Luke carefully laid his brother down onto the grass and flowers, gently stroking his hair as he hummed a familiar tune until Asch finally stirred. The young man moaned softly and slowly opened his eyes, seeing his brother looking over him, tears in his eyes.

“…Yolus?7” he rasped a bit weakly as Luke nodded happily, bending down to rest his forehead up against his brother’s.

“Kii… Hi lost dir. Miroda'Vild drun hi rigir...8" he whispered, closing his eyes as he squeezed Asch's hand. 

"...Kolos mu?9" Asch looked around, failing to recognize their surroundings. "...Fos koros?10"

"Dreh hi dahmaan fos koros?11" Luke asked but Asch shook his head. Luke frowned a little, sitting back up right as he looked around. "Ofaal nau dii rigir,12" he instructed, helping Asch sit up right. He then turned around, allowing his brother to climb up onto his back for support. When he made sure Asch’s legs were secure with his arms, Luke stood up and headed to the entrance of the temple, seeing Tear and Guy waiting patiently for them. "Asch is disoriented and doesn't remember what happened. It might come to him later, but he needs to properly rest."

"We'll take him back to the palace immediately." Tear offered and Luke nodded, the four of them setting off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Stop! Princess you will cease this immediately!  
> 2 This is for your own good- you can't be sealed-  
> 3 Gatekeeper  
> 4 Gods be my witness.  
> 5 I have wronged you.  
> 6 Welcome back...! Welcome back!  
> 7 Flame...? [in reference to Luke's name]  
> 8 Asch... You had died. Lorelei brought you back...  
> 9 ...Where are we?  
> 10 ...What happened?  
> 11 Do you remember what happened?  
> 12 Climb up onto my back


	13. Brothers

“I don’t know why, but when Jade explained that you were both made from Lorelei, I still didn’t expect the two of you to be _this_ identical. Other than the way your hair is parted and your clothes, I honestly cannot tell the two of you apart…” Guy said as they walked down the staircase.

“The two of you are _what_?!” Tear asked, her eyes wide. Luke growled and muttered silent curses under his breath- of course Jade would tell them that… He was going to kill him later for it…

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Luke said harshly in reply and Tear nodded slowly, respecting his wishes.

“Is there anything that you need, my Guardian? Food, water, a hot bath?”

“Just a room will do, Tear.” Luke was growing annoyed. Thankfully they were nearing the palace which meant that soon, Luke would be able to shut them out so he could focus solely on his brother. There was a long stretch of silence after that, though Guy soon broke it.

“Actually, Tear, could I talk to you after we get Luke and Asch to a room? There’s… something I’d like to ask.”

Tear seemed put off, but her momentary disgust dissipated and she nodded. In the short time she had known the blond, he hadn’t done anything to exert his status over Luke’s, or done anything to harm him- she had no real right to be angry with him, especially considering that Luke himself didn’t hold any anger against him. “Of course.”

“Thanks,” Guy said as they reached the palace.

Luke gently set Asch down onto his bed when they had reached their borrowed guest chambers, paying neither Guy nor Tear any heed. Right now, Luke was far more concerned with making sure that Asch was alright and had everything that he needed to feel better. 

While Asch didn’t particularly like to be fussed over and it generally irritated him, for now, he was making an exception. He had never seen his little brother so distraught before. “Yolus, Zu'u los flogah, lig, hi praag ni fus’s avok zey,1” he attempted to assure him but Luke refused to leave his bedside, or let go of his hand for that matter.

“Nid, Zu'u laan wah wahl bek hi los bek.2” Asch sighed as he heard that. “Ofaal osos praan, bek?3” Luke asked, and the older redhead sighed heavily before he nodded, settling back onto the bed and quietly drifting off to sleep.

Once Asch was settled down and Luke took to doting over him, Guy and Tear left the room and went to a secluded conference chamber that would give them absolute privacy, which Guy certainly needed given the topic of conversation. Without even waiting, he took his sword and laid it out on the table in front of Tear.

"This...is what bound Luke to me," he started to explain the situation, how it all happened, though Tear was less than fond to hear that the guardian had done this to himself, accident or no. She touched the blade, inspected it, tried to make rhyme or reason of the magic placed upon it that gave it this sort of gift, if one could call it that. "If I knew how to free him, I would in a heartbeat." He said as he sat down and looked at the blade. "My full name is Gailardia Galan of House Gardios, and that sword's been passed through my family for countless generations. I'm... hoping that maybe since it's so old, you or your people could help to figure out how I could undo the binding?"

Tear was pensive as she laid the blade down, uneasy when she recognized a few of the materials that went into making it. "It comes down to the magic that enchanted this sword to produce such a strong curse... Some types of curses require the death of the binder, while some require an incantation or ritual or sacrifice. There are some that need full and utter trust from the one bound, and there are even those that have nothing that can be done." She sighed and laid her hands on the table as she stared at the sword. "To my people, you've done a great injustice, accidental or not."

"I figured, given your reaction back at the ruins." Guy laughed weakly, bring a hand up to rub at his throat. "Could you look into it, not for me but for Luke?"

"I... have a very small amount of researchers that I could delegate to this task, though they will all greatly resent you for it. If word were to get out, I'm unsure how well I could assure your safety, even as their princess. They will demand blood for it."

"Thanks, Tear. Really, thank you. I’ll try to keep a low profile in the meantime.”

"As you said, I am doing this for our Guardian, not for you.”

The others arrived at the city gates two hours later, everyone tired and emotionally drained after such a… stressful experience. But despite their fatigue, they were all very eager to meet with Luke and see his brother. Seeing Luke openly sob like that… he had always been so tough and strong, very angry or indifferent… to see such raw, heartbreaking emotion from him… it still brought chills down Meryl’s spine. “I do hope that everything is alright…” she said as she dismounted from her halla, handing it off to the elven stable master.

“I just wish we had something to show for all of our work.” Anise sighed, helping Ion down off of their halla. “We combed all of those ruins for nothing.”

“I wouldn’t say nothing,” Jade said as he walked over towards them, “However, I need Asch to confirm my theory.”

“Did you find something while we were out there, Jade?” Ion asked as Jade shook his head.

“I’m not sure, which is why I need Asch to confirm it.”

When the party arrived back at their chambers, they found Asch sleeping peacefully in Luke’s bed with Luke bent over the side of the bed, asleep next to him. Everyone slowly gravitated over to the twins and they all intensely inspected Asch from a distance. “I knew they were twins but if it weren’t for their clothes, I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart!” Anise whispered as Ion nodded.

“I didn’t know dragons could even have twins.” Meryl said, eyes moving back and forth between the two sleeping boys.

“It’s an incredibly rare phenomenon; they hatched from the same egg. Usually one twin crushes the other in such an enclosed environment, or the egg cracks prematurely and both twins perish” Jade supplied a little loudly. Luke stirred from his slumber and sat upright, rubbing at his eyes. “Ah, the beast awakens.” Luke blearily looked over at him with a glare.

“Strin vok…4” He yawned as Jade amusedly chuckled.

“I take it Asch is alright?” he asked as Luke nodded.

“He was too disoriented when he came back… hopefully after some rest he’ll remember what happened.” Luke scratched the back of his head, stretching a bit.

“No luck?” Guy asked as he and Tear both stepped in the room, seeing the rest of their companions finally back.

“Jade’s got a theory but he needs Asch to confirm it,” Meryl sighed, crossing her arms.

“You people are making it incredibly hard to actually rest…” Asch muttered in annoyance and all eyes in the room turned to him. He had forced himself to sit upright, a rather irritated scowl on his face. Luke attempted to have him lay back down to rest but Asch was having none of it, waving him off. The man looked around the room, seeing a sea of unfamiliar faces surrounding him. “…Who the hell are all of you?” 

Anise blinked.“Don’t tell me Luke is actually the _nice_ one!” she exclaimed and Luke snorted.

“These poor sods are who I’ve been traveling with,” Luke explained, standing up from the chair he had been sitting in. “That’s Guy, Tear, Meryl, Ion, Anise, and that’s-“

“Kruziik’Onikaan. I know who he is.” Asch said, eyes locking with Jade.

“My, can’t say I’ve heard my own name in quite some time,” Jade replied easily as Asch crossed his arms and his gaze narrowed. “There’s something that I need to ask you. Do you remember the collapse of Padamiya?” Asch winced. “I take it you do. Tell me, do you remember anything out of the ordinary before the collapse?” Asch cocked his head to the side, thinking for a few tense, silence-filled moments as the group anxiously awaited to hear his verdict.

“Viidost’suf,” he said, and Jade’s expression turned grim while Luke looked quite terrified himself.

“I feared that was the case…” Jade muttered quietly, cupping his chin as he went into thought.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa- you mind speaking the common tongue so the rest of us have a clue?” Anise sounded quite annoyed. “What is this… vii…do- whatever it is?”

“Miasma,” Luke replied. “Corrupted mana; the physical manifestation of greed and anger and hatred. It’s a deadly poison, and will spread to the other gateways unless we find some way to purify it.”

“But what could cause a surge of miasma to be so strong it could topple an entire gateway!?” Tear asked.

“…The war.” Jade said in quiet realization. “It won’t purify it, but if we stop the war it will slow the growth rate of the miasma considerably.”

"So what you're saying is that the miasma feeds on everything malicious in one way or another and grows stronger?" Guy questioned aloud. “Then if we had been faster in getting a peace treaty between Kimlasca and Malkuth then we would have been able to keep Daath from falling." 

“It’s more complicated than that,” Luke said as he shook his head. “The war likely exacerbated whatever miasma was in the gateway already, there’s no way to prove that us ending the war would have saved Padamiya or not… but we should continue our efforts to keep the miasma from spreading any faster.”

“Yeah but, the war and everything is all the way out on the surface. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re trapped down here.” Anise pointed out.

“We just need to take another gateway,” Jade said with a smile. “Mine is the closest, so we’ll be emerging through Mt. Roneal.” Both Luke and Asch looked _horribly_ unamused by this.

“We are not going to be freezing to death,” the two of them said in unison.

"The only other gate nearby is the one in the Meggiora Highlands, right? That would be an unnecessarily longer trip to get to Grand Chokmah, and if time is of the essence..." Ion trailed off, hopeful that the two red dragons would agree to going to Mt. Roneal. It would be easy to get a ship from the Keterburg port, especially since the Divine would be with them as well as the commander of the Malkuth army.

"If you two just bundle up, we'll be okay, and it's not like we're going to be staying there all that long. As soon as we can get a boat, we'll go." Guy assured them, smiling.

“Who the hell said I even want to go with you?” Asch asked, obviously displeased at the sound of this plan. “I have no idea what the hell is going on or who any of you people are.”

“It’s… a really long story, Asch.” Luke said with a bit of a sigh as Asch sat there, looking impatient.

“It’s not like I’m going anywhere,” Asch shot back and Anise groaned.

“Ugh, Luke _is_ the nice one!” she said and Luke shooed her off.

“Everyone, go pack. I’ll fill Asch in on everything so far,” he said, ushering them all out of the room. Meryl was a bit put off by the rude dismissal but, it was silently agreed upon by the humans there that when it came to Luke and his brother, it was best to just not get involved. The two of them seemed to have a bit of a weird relationship with one another.

After being banished from the room, Guy accompanied Tear to go and meet the team of researchers. He surrendered his family’s sword to them, received a few rather unpleasant looks (as well a few rude comments), but overall it went smoothly and they agreed to look into it. Though it meant having to leave it behind while they returned to the outerlands… It didn’t feel right parting with it, but Rem, he needed to know if they could figure anything out about it.

Since most of Guy’s belongings were still in the room with the twins, which were really only just the clothes he had been wearing when they arrived, he took to getting some food and finding some suitable armor and weaponry for their journey. Thankfully the elven palace was stocked full of these things, and Tear was willing to part with some of it to aid their journey. The faster they got everything together, the faster they would be on their way to the Mt. Roneal gateway. From there it would be easy to get to Grand Chokmah, and hopefully they could stop this damn war once and for all.

Luke spent a good portion of an hour retelling the entire journey thus far, how the war woke him and how he met Guy and became bound. The time he spent impersonating a soldier in the Malkuth army, the trip to the oasis where they met Meryl, going to Baticul and strong armed the king to order a ceasefire, the trip to Daath, the collapse- Luke retold the entire thing and Asch sat there, speechless.

“That’s… a hell of a lot to go through in a mere three weeks,” he said, looking puzzled for a moment. “But… you’re bound?” Luke nodded holding his hand up to show him the scar.

“Guy’s sword is the fucking Jewel… Why the hell it was given such a misleading name is beyond me, but I touched the gods damned jewel and it did _this_ to me. I can’t even begin to tell you how much it hurt. My power has been slowly coming back but I still can’t change shape.” He sighed, taking a seat on the bed next to Asch.

“How much power do you have?”

“Enough to manifest certain features without having to think too hard, and I can manipulate a little bit of fire, but that’s it.”

“Which features?”

“My horns and claws. Sometimes my eyes and teeth. I can’t even feel my wings anymore.” He flopped down onto his back, staring upwards at the ceiling. “I miss flying.”

“I’ll go kill him,” Asch started to stand up but Luke grabbed hold of his wrist, wide eyed.

“You will do no such thing!”

“If he dies, the binding is null and you’ll be set free. What is the problem?” Asch asked, not believing his brother would value the life of a mere human more than his own freedom.

“He doesn’t deserve to die because of an accident, Asch. We will find another way to undo this. Do not touch him, or else,” he warned and Asch watched him for a few silent moments.

“You love him,” he accused and Luke blinked, furrowing his brows.

“That’s ridiculous, he’s a human!” Luke scoffed, letting go of Asch.

“You would not have hesitated to kill him before all of this started, and now you’re threatening _me_ to leave him alone. Human or not, you care too much about him. He’ll be gone in a handful of years, Luke.” Luke narrowed his gaze at him. “I make no promises about touching him. If there comes a situation where you need your power to keep safe, I will not hesitate to kill him.” Asch said, exiting the room.

When alone, Luke felt his face heat up with a creeping blush. Love… no, that was nonsense. He knew he’d come to care for Guy over their travels, but to say that it was love? Asch was wrong. Asch was really, really wrong. Where the hell did he get off saying something like that?!

With their gear now gathered, the group started to assemble near the entrance to the palace where they waited for Luke and Asch, rather impatiently at that. Anise was tapping her foot rather agitatedly when one of the redheads finally came into view. “It’s been practically an hour!” Anise exclaimed but the look Asch shot her got her to shut up instantly.

“Will Luke be joining us soon?” Meryl asked a bit nervously.

“He'd better,” Asch muttered under his breath as he crossed his arms and scowled. He then took notice of Guy’s presence and he glared at the man, causing Guy to shrink back a bit. 

“Before we go to the outerlands, there is one matter of detail we must attend to,” Jade motioning for Tear to step towards him. She obliged, and Jade placed his hands over her eyes before muttering a small incantation. When he removed his hands, Tear looked incredibly… human!

“Whoa! Tear, you look so different!” Anise cried out as Meryl crowded in to get a closer look.

“My! Such a drastic change!” she gasped, and Tear brought her hands up to feel that her ears were now much shorter and rounded like that of a human’s.

“We can’t very well allow an elf to walk along the surface looking like an elf, can we?” Jade asked and Tear shook her head. “This spell will keep you disguised. No one will be able to tell what you really are.”

“Nice illusion spell” Asch commented and Jade smirked.

“Thank you,” Tear said as she bowed her head to Jade. “I look forward to traveling with you all. I’ve been very curious about the outerlands for as long as I can remember.”

“Won’t the elves need their ruler?” Meryl asked and Tear shook her head.

“My half brother will be in charge of court affairs while I am away. There is nothing to worry about.”

“Why don’t you guys go ahead and start loading our stuff up into the aravel? I should wait here for Luke since, well, distance is a factor now.” And Guy wasn’t quite sure just how far it was from the palace to the edge of the city where the stables were. Last thing he wanted to cause Luke even more pain and have that scar of his spread out even further… damn, that thing was creepy. Somehow he was pretty sure that Asch would refuse to leave him alone with his brother, which didn’t entirely bother him, but he had to admit that he was slightly scared for his life with how _intimidating_ Asch had been in the very few interactions they’ve had.

“Alright, catch up when you can, then.” Meryl called out over her shoulder as the bulk of the group started to head off. Just as Guy had predicted, Asch stayed behind. What was really disconcerting was the fact that Asch kept his glare on him the entire time, never once looking away.

“Human,” Asch finally said, taking a couple steps closer. “I am _watching_ you,” he hissed.

“W-what?” Guy stammered.

“A warning: hurt my little brother and I will end your miserable, pathetic life. Do you understand me?” Guy nodded, going a bit pale. “Good. I don’t know _what_ he sees in such a lowly creature like yourself,” he eyed the man up and down, failing to note any remarkable features at all. “Honestly, of all possible beings to fall for-“

Guy had winced at the berating, but that last part? Fall for? Did that mean what he thought it meant? He was now confused and… feeling slightly flattered, though mostly he was confused. Asch had to be talking nonsense.

“-ASCH!” Luke yelled from the top of the palace’s staircase, his face rather flushed. “What the hell are you saying to him?! I told you to leave him alone!” He threw his bag of supplies down at his brother, who stepped out of the way just in time for the bag to collide with the blond. It hit him square in the chest and nearly knocked him over but he managed to keep his balance as Luke came running down the stairs, looking quite angry.

“And I told you I made no such promises.” Asch sneered. “He’s making you weak.”

“I can manage just fine with this binding.”

“That isn’t what I meant.”

“It is, because what you’re trying to insinuate isn’t _true_. Now back off!”

“Hasn’t even been a full day and already the two of you are at each other’s throats,” Guy laughed weakly as both of them glared at him. “Brothers, huh…?”

Asch had turned and walked off, clearly done with this whole interaction. Luke glared at him for a few more moments, his face still particularly flushed before he finally spoke up. “Whatever Asch just told you? It’s garbage. Don’t listen to him and forget he ever said _anything_.” Luke then snatched his bag from Guy and started to follow after his brother, leaving Guy standing there, scratching his head and wondering just what the hell had happened.

With the aravel packed up and everyone aboard, Tear snapped the reins and the halla began to pull, moving at a much slower pace than before, but still rivaling the speed of a horse back on Auldrant. The ride itself was rather uneventful, Anise, Ion, and Meryl taking to a game of ‘eye spy’ to pass the time and help identify new scenery. When they entered into a thick forest it was fun for a whole five minutes until everything around them seemed to be trees and more trees. From there, they pulled out into an open plain with nothing to be seen for miles save grass. There just wasn’t all that much to look at.

“For a magical, hidden, underground world, this place sure can be boring,” Anise muttered.

“You’ve only seen a tiny fraction of Eldrant,” Luke said, giving her the most quizzical look. “And besides, most of the ‘wonder’ you’re looking for is underwater where the merfolk live-“ Meryl abruptly stood up, stars in her eyes.

“Mermaids are real!? I’ve always read the most amazing stories about them as a girl!”

“Really? What did those stories have to say about them?” Luke asked with sincere curiosity.

“That they’re beautiful, song-loving enchantresses~” Luke had to actually hold back his laughter. Asch sure didn’t.

“Yeah, real mermaids will drown you and then eat you to steal your face.” Asch said and Meryl sat back down slowly, looking horrified.

“Merfolk are not nice creatures.” Luke supplied.

“Note taken.”

_Gnome Redecan, Loreleiday 38 N.D. 2018_

The aravel pulled up to what looked like an ancient castle that had a large stone spiral jutting up out of the castle’s center. It shot up for quite a ways, though it did come to an end where much of the stone had crumbled down below.

“We’ve arrived,” Jade said as he stepped out of the aravel.

“This is a gateway…?” Anise asked, looking slightly skeptical.

“Yes, this will take us directly to Mt. Roneal. Does everyone have their belongings?” he asked as the party started to unload everything and gather themselves together. “Follow me,” he instructed, leading them up the stairs to a grand stone door that had no handle or… any other means of actually opening it? The humans stared at this in mild confusion, just wondering how the hell they were going to get inside when Jade suddenly summoned his claws and used them to slice his palm open, smearing the blood up against the stone surface. For a moment, nothing happened, and Anise opened her mouth to ask just what that was for when suddenly the stone door began to glow brightly. That light enveloped all of them, and in an instant they disappeared, a ghost of Anise’s scream echoing through the area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Flame, I am fine. You needn't fuss over me.  
> 2 No, I want to make sure you're okay.  
> 3Get some rest, okay?  
> 4 Shut up...


	14. Admissions

In an instant the scenery transformed around them. What was an old, decrepit castle in a secret, underground world was now a frigid, icy, dimly lit cavern. All sans the resident dragons of the group found themselves to be extremely disoriented and, quite frankly, a bit nauseous from the teleportation, most of them doubling over in an attempt to keep themselves from vomiting. “I think I’m going to be sick…” Anise whined loudly as she clutched her abdomen.

“I think I’m going to freeze!” Meryl cried out, already shivering. A rather icy wind picked up, blowing through their elven apparel as if it were tissue paper.

Jade couldn’t help but to roll his eyes at his companions’ lack of forethought or planning. “How long have you known that we would be traveling to Mt. Roneal?” he asked Meryl with a quirked brow. “I personally think this weather is quite refreshing~”

“Y-yeah, yeah… l-laugh it up. I-If this w-were Z-Zaleh-ho you’d b-be melting!” Luke’s teeth positively chattered.

“Such a shame it’s in so many pieces about five miles below us,” Jade replied all too cavalierly and both redheads shot him a very dark glare. “Oh? Too soon?”

“V-very.” Asch hissed before he held his hand out to summon forth a large flame. Luke immediately came flocking to his brother’s side, holding his hands out to try and absorb some of the heat.

“There are many strong monsters around here, so it’s best that we traverse carefully and keep our eyes and ears open. Keterburg isn't very far, but the pathway can be treacherous.” Jade warned as he brought his hands around behind his back, looking over his already half-frozen comrades. “I know this area better than anyone, so it would be wise to follow me rather than go wandering off.”

The cavern that housed the gateway in Mt. Roneal was setup like a giant maze which, thankfully, Jade knew exactly how to navigate through. Everything looked so similar that, even with Jade guiding them, it still felt all too easy to just wander in the wrong direction and end up lost. Luckily for them, Asch’s fire helped illuminate their path and help them follow along, as some areas of the cavern were quite dark and hard to see. 

“How long did it take to learn how to navigate through all of this?” Guy asked curiously, internally swearing that they had been down this exact same path before.

“It was actually imprinted into my subconscious when I was delegated here, so probably two seconds, if that. Though, if you were to try and learn it, I’m sure it would take the better part of a year, depending on how quickly you pick things up,” he shrugged and Guy frowned a bit. Was it just a dragon trait to be condescending to humans, unintentional or not?

After what seemed like an eternity of walking aimlessly through the never ending twists and turns of the cavern, the group came to its mouth and were greeted with the piercingly cold, harsh, bitter winds of the mountainside that whipped about at intense speeds. Snow fell heavily from thick, dark clouds overhead which wasn’t a very good sign. A storm was approaching, which meant that they needed to move fast if they didn’t want to be caught in the middle of it.

“J-Jeez…! How can anything survive up here?!” Anise cried out, her voice barely audible as the winds howled. “Who the h-hell designed these gateways to be in such t-terrible locations?!”

“They are designed to keep humanity out, Anise,” Jade replied all too casually as if the weather had absolutely no affect on him. “Asch’s gate was located in the center of an active volcano, after all. Now, we’re going to have to move quickly and quietly. There is a storm approaching and this is an avalanche area,” he warned, and all eyes in the group slowly gravitated towards Anise.

“…O-Oh f-fine, you meanies!” she stuck her tongue out at them.

“Careful, that’ll freeze at this altitude,” Jade grinned and Anise immediately pulled her tongue back in.

They began their walk down the mountainside in absolute silence save for the crunch snow beneath their boots, the crackle of Asch’s flame, and the chattering of teeth. With not one, but three dragons present in their group, monsters were thankfully not an issue for them. Everyone at some point or another seemed to get closer to Asch’s fire to try and suck up what little warmth they could before retreating back to their previous positions- as the older red would end up scowling at them. 

Thankfully Jade had been telling the truth about Keterburg not being too far, for it wasn’t long before the city was in their sights. A sigh of relief sounded off as they neared the bottom of the mountain, now clear from the avalanche zone. 

“F-Finally! I thought I was g-going to f-freeze out here!” Anise tried to pick up her pace to reach the city a bit faster, only to find she was know wading through knee-deep snow piled up at the base of the mountain, her pace dismally slow. “I-I swear, it’s l-like the g-gods are laughing at m-me…”

“H-How’re you two d-doing?” Guy asked, rubbing his hands together to try and generate some friction to keep the feeling in his fingers.

“F-f-f-fine, t-thank-ks f-for a-as-sking…” Luke somehow managed a sarcastic answer, his and his brother’s faces quite pale from their trek down the mountainside. Actually, their lips were starting to turn blue- that wasn’t good. What was worse, now that they were reaching the human city, Asch had to extinguish his flame that had been keeping them from freezing to death because magic wasn’t something that could happen on the outerlands.

When they arrived at the city’s outskirts, a couple of residents scattered about the street gave them wild, bewildered looks. No one ever went to the mountain, yet this massive group of outsiders all just wandered into town from that direction- without proper snow gear? Quite the oddity… Jade paid the citizens little heed, and instead directed the party to the nearest inn, the Keterburg Hotel and Spa located towards the middle of the city. 

It was quite large and flashy, apparently to draw in tourists as it was one of the city’s main attractions. Inside the main lobby it was warm and welcoming, with an atmosphere clearly designed to suit the affluent. The redheads practically sprinted over to the grand fireplace on the far side of the room, the both of them actually shoving their near frostbitten hands into the flames to warm themselves back up- much to the horror of the other hotel patrons trying to enjoy their leisure time in the luxurious lobby. Tear quickly ran over and pulled their hands out, giving them a stern look to remind them that freezing or not, they still all had appearances to maintain.

“Oh! Commander Curtiss! Forgive me, I did not recognize you right away,” the hotel’s clerk from behind the front counter bowed his head as the man approached.

“It’s quite alright. I do apologize for the rowdiness, we’ve just come back from a military expedition out in the frosts.”

“…You did?” the clerk asked, side eyeing the weary group.

“I know, I know. I warned them we were traveling to Mt. Roneal many times, but it’s not my fault my comrades cannot plan ahead and dress accordingly. Do you perchance have any rooms available? I apologize for not making reservations in advanced but, due to circumstances with the war,” he trailed off, shrugging his shoulders while the clerk checked his ledger.

“Yes, we have three rooms open on the fourth floor-“

“Bill it to the Malkuth Military. We did just risk our necks for them.” Jade sighed as the man handed him their room keys.

“Here you are, please enjoy your stay. Swimsuits will be found in the dressers.” The clerk gave them a pleasant smile and Tear looked a bit confused as she approached the group..

“Swimsuits…?” she asked.

“Keterburg Hotel and Spa is quite famous for its… well, spa,” the clerk supplied. “It’s just the thing to warm you up after a long day out in the snow.”

Anise cheered loudly as she threw her hands up into the air, “I can’t wait to just hop in and never get out!” she snatched one of the keys from Jade’s hands before grabbing Ion by his wrist. “C’mon, Ion! Let’s get changed and get to that spa!”

“A-Anise-!” Ion weakly protested as the young girl dragged him off.

Meryl chuckled warmly at their eagerness, following along behind them and gesturing for Tear to come with. “I doubt it’s anything as nice as where you’re from, but the spa here is supposedly the best there is this side of the gateway.”

“I’m sure they’re wonderful,” Tear mused as she obliged, accompanying Meryl towards the elevator. 

Guy went over to the fireplace to collect the brothers. “Don’t know if you heard but everyone’s headed up to the rooms and hitting the spa. Might not be a fire but it’s probably the best thing to thaw the both of you back out the fastest.”

“W-we’ll b-be up s-s-shortly,” Luke’s teeth were still chattering quite badly and Guy frowned a little. For Luke’s sake he hoped that they wouldn’t have to come back here, or if they did, they’d at least find proper clothing to keep things from getting this severe again. He’d remembered how cold Luke had been back when they were flying up really high with Jade, but that was nothing compared to the temperatures out here where blizzards and snowstorms were a common occurrence. The knight nodded silently and left them to their fire, instead turning to follow along with everyone else to get to their rooms.

Once all in their rooms, there was really no surprise when everyone had gotten changed into their swimsuits the moment they weren’t shivering. It was just an elevator ride away to the sixth floor and they found themselves in the famed spa; a large central, communal bath with several bathing stations, miniature pools, and lounge chairs scattered about. The air was rather humid and heavily scented of herbs and fruits, likely to produce a calming atmosphere to the patrons. Best of all, no one was around.

“This is the best!” Anise exclaimed happily, hurrying over to the edge of the pool to stick her foot in. The water was so wonderfully warm and relaxing, and as such, she practically jumped in like the child she was. She then surfaced and draped her arms out over the ledge of the pool, looking like quite the lounger. “I have wanted to come here for so long! Could never afford it, the church paid peanuts.” she spat a bit under her breath.

“We’ve been here a few times before,” Ion said but Anise shook her head.

“You might have gotten to use the spa but I sure as hell haven’t. The church was so stingy- I work just as hard as you do!” she splashed the water and Ion chuckled weakly.

Meryl sighed loudly as she stepped in and took her seat near the ledge, the warmth of the bath soothing her tired, aching muscles. “This is the life… A girl could get used to treatment like this.” she sank down to her shoulders, closing her eyes.

“My, this does feel quite lovely,” Tear said as she stepped into the bath.

“Yeah, but it’s got nothing on the baths back where you’re from. _Those_ were incredible!” Anise sighed dreamily, tilting her head back to look up at the domed ceiling. Ion chuckled and shifted off towards the side of the bath to give the ladies their space. It may have been a co-ed bath where swimsuits were required, but he still liked to let them have their privacy.

“I wonder what is taking the others so long…” Ion mused aloud, tilting his head.

“Who knows? Jade’s always a mystery, and I don’t really know all that much about Asch. Maybe Luke and Guy ran off together somewhere,” Anise snickered and Tear gasped at such an insinuation.

“You shouldn’t speak of a Guardian like that!” Tear scolded and the young girl scoffed.

“Oh come on! Everyone knows they totally have a thing for each other,” she snickered as she waved her hand dismissively. “They even had that late night rendezvous back at the palace.” Tear’s face flushed out of both anger and embarrassment.

“Anise- play nice.” Meryl shot her a warning as the younger girl grinned.

Luke and his brother both stepped out into the spa area, quickly dispelling that rumor, the two of them completely indistinguishable as they wore matching swimsuits and wore their hair up in a similar fashion. “How’s the water?” one asked.

“Nice and hot. The two of you will have a marvelous time, I’m sure,” Meryl purred, leaning back up against the ledge. The boys wasted no time getting in, but rather than look relaxed, the both of them looked a bit irritated.

“…This isn’t hot.” Ah, that was Luke.

“No way! This water is practically boiling!” Anise cried out and Ion quietly chuckled.

“Anise- you’re talking to a couple of fire dragons.” he reminded her.

“This is a fraction of the heat the lava in Zaleho gave off.” Asch scoffed and Luke sighed in agreement.

“I miss lava baths… those always felt so good.”

“The two of you bathed in _lava_?!” Anise looked downright horrified.

“Yes.” Asch replied simply, sinking down until his shoulders were submerged. Meryl blinked when she noticed something, and she slowly started to scoot around the edge of the bath until she was practically right behind Asch. He had the same scars that Luke did running across his back... “Can I _help_ you?” Asch asked, spinning around to give Meryl a glare.

“What’s the deal with those scars?” she asked bluntly. “You and Luke have the same scars on your backs and I’m really curious.”

“They’re not the same, they’re inverse,” Asch corrected and then frowned at her, “And it’s none of your damn business.”

“Oh come on! It has to be a good story, I mean what kind of a creature could lay scars on a dragon unless it were another-...oh,“ Meryl stopped herself short at the realization and both the twins were glaring at her darkly. She immediately shrank back and moved away to put some distance between them.

“There is a _reason_ we hate blue dragons,” Luke hissed, and that was the end of that conversation.

“Come now, we’re not all like that,” Jade said as he stepped out into the spa donning the complimentary bathrobe. Well, scratch that, this conversation was now getting started apparently. The twins turned their glares to the man, though he was positively unfazed as he made his way over to a lounge chair and took a seat.

“Might as well be,” Asch muttered bitterly as he crossed his arms.

“We had to have _some_ way of telling you two apart, didn’t we?” Jade asked with a shrug and Asch started to growl.

“What-? The bad and worse attitude isn’t enough of a sign on which one’s which?” Anise asked coyly to which Ion sighed heavily behind her. Sooner or later she was going to get into real trouble with that mouth of hers... 

"Does this human child want me to eat her?" Asch asked Luke, pointing over at Anise.

"Don't... just don't." Luke sighed, gently pushing his brother a little further away from the rest of the group.

“Well, Asch is a lot more… scowly, like Luke was when I first ran into him.” Meryl agreed, but she made sure to smile at the redheads.

“He’s still pretty scowly,” Anise argued quietly. Guy laughed as he entered into the spa not too far behind Jade, slightly amused from what of the conversation he could overhear.

“We’re supposed to be relaxing, not picking on everyone.” he chuckled as he stepped into the water on the far side of the pool, just to keep his distance from the women.

“Boooo! Guy sucks the fun out of everything!” Anise huffed and made an attempt to splash some water at the blond.

“Now, now, children. Keep up the antics and you’re sure to get thrown out. You wouldn't want that, would you? Given the oncoming snowstorm and all." Jade asked with that ever sarcastic tone. Anise visibly grimaced at it, and even went so far as to mockingly mouth the words before sinking in the water up to her nose while blowing bubbles irritatedly.

One by one, members of their party slowly exited the bath after a good, long soak to head back to their rooms. The only ones left were Luke and Guy, Asch having been the last to leave only because hunger had gotten the best of him. Luke still felt pretty frozen to the core so he was not at all interested in getting out and Guy... had the stamina of champions to manage continuous exposure to this level of heat for so long without appearing faint. Luke sort of admired that... sort of.

"I take it that Jade is going to get us into Grand Chokmah?" Luke asked, looking over to Guy.

"If he can't then I could since I’m Malkuth nobility, and we also have the Divine if nothing else. But if I remember right, Jade's actually a pretty good friend of the emperor so it shouldn't be any problem to get clearance into the city." Guy mused as he brought a hand up to cup his chin thoughtfully, looking up to the domed ceiling. "I spoke with Tear when we were in Yulia City, and she has a couple researchers looking into what kind of enchantment my sword has on it. Hopefully with that figured out, we’ll be able to figure out how to break the bond as well." Guy explained. "She definitely wasn't happy when she learned what happened, but she's doing it for her Guardian." He offered a slight smile before sinking a bit more into the water. "So if we're lucky, we'll get you free soon."

“One can hope,” Luke muttered as he sank down into the water and rested his head up against the ledge. "...Though you've eternally damned yourself an enemy to the elves for that," he then snickered, shaking his head. “So long as I forbid any hostility towards you, though, you would be okay. The elves wouldn't dare to cross me.” 

With a small sigh, Luke released a small puff of white smoke into the air- much to his delight. If he could breathe out smoke that meant that he would be able to breathe out fire and, when he attempted, he actually managed a small flame. His powers were slowly, but steadily, coming back to him. "This is so great!" he said excitedly before he caught himself and settled back down. In the words of Tear, he had appearances to maintain. 

Guy found himself grinning as a result of getting to watch Luke use more of his magic. He actually went so far as to scoot a bit closer towards the red. "Is that because you just came from Eldrant and you're still... uh... magically charged?" He asked, looking to Luke eagerly. 

"That's not how it works, but you get points for trying." He said, holding out his hand to summon a small flame. "I _am_ magic, it's my very being. When using my power, I'm using the magic that's inside of me. At first, I couldn't use my power at all because the binding was so strong it blocked off my access to it and basically turned me mortal. But in Eldrant, I was able to pull the magic from my surroundings to use power that I wasn't capable of using on my own. Now that we're back here," he extinguished the flame, "there is no magic for me to draw off of other than what's already inside of me. The binding is loosening, I can feel it." he gave a small smile. "Though why it's loosening, I'm not really sure..."

That spurred the recollection of what Asch had said to Guy while waiting for Luke. The younger brother had promptly dismissed that idea the moment that he had the chance to but… wasn’t something like that one of the things Tear listed off that would break binding magic? Surely that couldn’t be the answer… could it? Wouldn’t that be a hilarious joke?

"I wonder when I'll be able to fly again…” Luke sighed heavily, a disappointed look on his face, “I haven't been able to manifest my wings at all." he said with a bit of a pout.

"Soon, I’d bet, given the rate at which this binding seems to be loosening. If we're lucky, you won't have to stay so close to me anymore and perhaps eventually be able to fly on your own." Which Guy definitely wanted for the redhead, that was for sure, but there was still that small, selfish part of him that had wanted the opportunity to try flying with the red. He was certain that Luke would be far faster than Jade could ever hope to be.

"Hopefully the elves will have some sort of idea... I really would like to fly again. It's like being handicapped-" Guy started to laugh to himself, and that put Luke off quite a bit. "I'm sorry, just what is so funny about that?" he asked, looking offended.

"Oh, sorry.” Guy said as he brought his hands up to show no ill will, “Just thinking about something I probably shouldn't be." 

"Thinking about something you _shouldn't_ be? That's suspicious..." Luke gave a cheeky grin, scooting just a little bit closer to lean in further towards him for effect.

"Your brother really likes to say what's on his mind, doesn't he?" Threatening Guy rather openly, threatening anyone to be honest, he seemed to just spill whatever came to his forethoughts regardless of what it could do to someone. "Has he always been like that?"

Oh… Guy was thinking about Asch? Luke's face fell into a bit of a frown and he sighed, leaning back away from the blond as he crossed his arms. 

"Asch is... He takes his job very seriously..." Was one way of putting it. "He really don't care for mortals and lower creatures. He was practically a hermit when it came to our fifty years living amongst humans. Never left the house we had, always had his nose in a book. He... doesn't understand tactfulness or the nuances of conversation. I'm hoping he'll learn when it is and isn't okay to say certain things while traveling with us. Rem knows he could use some manners..." he muttered, before falling quiet for a few moments. "Hey," Luke looked back over at him, "Uh... I guess I should apologize for his behavior towards you. What he did back in Yulia city was not okay."

Luke was apologizing…? This was definitely a first.

Guy smiled and shook his head. "You're his younger brother so he just wants to do the best for you. And I'm just, what? The idiot who got in way too far over his head?" he laughed, hoping to ease Luke's worries but there was one thought that kept coming back to his mind that he couldn't shake. "What... was he going to say though? Right before you got there."

Guy had to go and ask that... Luke paused, unsure just how to answer. "I'm... I mean, we covered some topics before we exited the palace but..." he fidgeted a bit nervously, "Well... no, I do know what he was going to say to you... But it's embarrassing as hell and completely not true so, I don't know where he got off thinking he could openly say such things to you." he huffed.

"Isn't that normally what an older brother's supposed to do? Embarrass the hell out of the younger brother?" Guy asked with a bit of a laugh but he couldn't help wonder if the idea was so farfetched… could Luke’s adamant denial mean something more?

"I guess, but it's annoying as hell..." Luke rolled his eyes as he snorted. One would think that, as dragons, they'd be immune to the supposed power dynamic that was common between siblings of lesser creatures. Apparently it transcended all beings. Hell, maybe even the gods were like this... Lorelei was the supposed youngest out of all of them anyways.

"Maybe he just thought it had to be the case since we're friends by now. Why else would a dragon actually like a human?" Guy thought aloud, not really pushing him for a response but, internally, he was wishing he'd just correct him, say more, something... 

As Guy sat there with those thoughts in his mind, he finally realized it and found himself extremely grateful the hot water had already left a dark shade of red over his cheeks. He was hanging on with such hope that Luke would go through with the words that Asch started that he quickly came to the conclusion that his fondness toward the dragon was far more than he had… that he was even _aware_ of until now...

"...He said what?" Luke asked and Guy retold the conversation as best he could. Luke groaned audibly, raking his hands through his hair. "Damnit, Asch, that's not okay!" he spat, shaking his head. "Look- Asch values his duty above all else and holds me to that same standard. And, since I met you and been reduced to this-” he gestured to himself, “my ability to perform my duty has been compromised. He resents you for that. Because of you, I'm weak, and that's a problem. He wanted to kill you, I wouldn't let him. And that's... how he got to that conclusion." he mumbled, looking away from him as a slight blush crept to his cheeks. "I... I do like you. You're reliable, strong, loyal to a fault, and good company when you're not being so damn nosy." That last bit was a small jab at the blond's expense. "I have come to think of you as a friend in the time we've spent together. I don't think my brother can comprehend that."

It was clear to Guy now that Asch had just been exaggerating what he believed Luke's feelings were and because of that, it caused Guy to dwell on that flicker of possibility that it could have been the truth. 

If he wanted to be critical of himself, the knight could say that it was out of desperation for companionship, with his fear of women and all… But it was so hard to sit there and try to deny it when he looked on at the redhead and found himself admiring his features. Luke was incredibly handsome like this, he had made comment of it, back on the boat to Daath, even if it was unintentional (much to Meryl’s amusement). Luke also had a good heart, even if he was acting like a petulant child from time to time. He had clearly demonstrated that when all of Daath had collapsed, putting the needs of everyone else over his own. 

Did he actually like Luke? Yes, he did… but how much of that was actual, legitimate feelings versus the infatuation spurred from years of isolation and loneliness?

"Well, I like you too, even if you get a little bratty sometimes. You're pretty incredible, and I'm not just saying that because you're a dragon." He gently nudged Luke with his elbow then moved to stand. "I'm going to end up passing out if I stay in here much longer so I think I'm gonna head up to the room. You coming?"

"Ah, I'm not ready to get out just yet, so you go on ahead... I'll be back up to the room later." He said, watching Guy exit the water and leave the baths. When all alone, Luke slowly sank down into the water, fully submerging himself in the water to hide his ever reddening face from sheer embarrassment. Why were relationships with humans so complicated…?


	15. Memories

_Gnome Redecan, Gnomeday 39 N.D. 2018_

The next morning had been an early start, much to everyone’s general annoyance as Jade oh so cheerily woke them up before dawn had even broke. They dressed, ate, gathered their belongings, and were out the front door of the hotel in less than an hour (the redheads having stolen quite a few of the hotel’s robes to keep themselves warm during their trip). It had been decided upon the night prior that Jade would not be flying them to the capital for there were far too many people for just him to ferry, and Asch rejected the idea of letting _anyone_ mount him entirely, save for Luke. The plan was to head out to Keterburg Port to board the ship that would take them to the capital, which may prove to be a challenge given the heavy restrictions put on vessels during wartime.

Thankfully Jade had his military credentials… by the time they had made it to the port (roughly a half hour walk through the thick snow), any ship that was headed to the capital had been barred from travel due to the capital becoming a fortress to protect the Emperor. Not to mention, there was also the terror everyone held over Padamiya suddenly disappearing into the sea. Jade had to assure the sailors and dock masters many things, and twisted his words so carefully he spun the most magnificent of lies to get his way.

Luke and Asch found themselves glad to have stolen those bathrobes beyond their original intention for warmth, for they had hoods. Hoods that were necessary to hide their mess of red hair from the curious dock workers. Luke was not particularly excited to relive the days of the Malkuth military treating him like dirt because they believed him to be Kimlascan… He really hoped that Jade’s word alone would solve the issue with Malkuth’s side of the war… 

When the boat was ready and they were given the okay from the dock master, they boarded and promptly moved inside one of the cabins. It was small and cramped, but it was warm and a safe haven from the seemingly never ending snowfall found outside. It was going to be a few days before they would reach the capital at least, perhaps a week if the weather was especially treacherous.

“I’m surprised that you didn’t use me as a reason to board the ship to Grand Chokmah,” Ion said as he sat on the only couch in the cabin next to Meryl. “You wouldn’t have had to tell all those lies otherwise…”

Jade merely shrugged as he leaned against the post of the bunk bed. “It would be better for us to not utilize you unless we absolutely need to. Your survival of Daath will raise far too many questions that we can’t answer without exposing more information than necessary.”

“I understand, but it still feels wrong…” Ion bowed his head.

“Don’t worry about it,” Guy said from his perch on the bottom bunk, “let Jade work his charm to get us into the city.”

A snore sounded from the top bunk and everyone fell silent, their gazes now focusing on the two redheads that were piled on top of one another, soundly asleep. Meryl sighed, frowning. “Honestly, this is just like the last time we were on a ship.”

“What happened the last time?” Tear asked, curious.

“Luke fell asleep for the entire duration of the trip. He was comatose! Now they both are!” she crossed her arms and Jade laughed.

“They are still young and growing, of course they need their sleep. In fact, if we were not to disturb them, they would likely sleep for three more centuries, at least.”

“How can anything sleep for three centuries?” Anise asked, looking quite dubious, “And I thought they were thousands of years old- how is that even remotely young?”

“Relativity,” Jade explained. “Time works very different for us, my dear. In human years, they would be-“

“They’d be what, seventeen or eighteen?” Anise asked.

“Seven.” Everyone blinked. “They are very, very young for dragons, and they still have a lot of maturing, both physically and mentally, to do over the next three thousand years. So, any chance they have to sleep, they take it.”

“Seven? I don’t believe it…” Meryl trailed off, standing up to get a better look at the twins. “I mean, sure, they act like children sometimes, but-“

“You must remember that they’re not human. This is just a simple equation to human development to better let you understand our own. Their bodies grow rapidly but their minds are slower to develop.” A small mumble escaped from Luke’s lips as he rolled over in his sleep, snuggling up a little closer next to his brother. “…It would be best to just leave them alone for the time being.”

“I think they have the right idea,” Anise yawned. “We made it to the boat, I’m gonna go back to bed.”

“Try not to oversleep,” Jade said as Anise waved him off, making a dive for the bottom bunk only to have Guy yelp and jerk himself away, falling to the floor in a not so graceful manner in a loud heap. 

_Gnome Redecan, Lunaday 41 N.D. 2018_

“Tear!” Meryl cried out excitedly as she ran into the cabin, finding the elf sitting on the couch, looking quite startled by the woman’s excitement. “There you are! We’ve finally sailed out of that snowstorm!”

“I… that’s good, right?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. Meryl shook her head furiously before she stopped herself and then nodded.

“Yes it is, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make. Just, come on!” she hurried over and grabbed Tear by the wrist before pulling her off the couch and dragging her out onto the deck of the ship. The air was chilled, although much warmer than it had been the past few days, the ship’s lanterns providing just enough light for them to see where they were going despite the darkness of night blanketing around them. Meryl pulled Tear over the railing of the ship and then came to a stop, pointing upwards at the sky. “Look,” she whispered, and when the elven princess looked up, she took in a stuttered breath as tears came to her eyes.

Stars.

Millions of stars twinkled and glittered in the inky blackness of the night sky. A full moon shone down with a beautiful aura around it, and all throughout the sky, a ribbon of northern lights danced in the most magnificent hues of blue and green.

“I just thought that… being underneath the outerlands, you wouldn’t have been able to see this before…” Meryl said, watching Tear for a few moments. The princess didn’t say anything, instead she merely looked over to the blonde with a fond smile on her face as tears rolled down her cheeks. Meryl smiled back, and the two of them stood there on the deck, watching the spectacle the heavens were providing them.

_Gnome Redecan, Undineday 43 N.D. 2018_

When the ship had finally reached the imperial capital’s waters, they were denied entry to the capital itself by a much larger, rather intimidating, military warship. Jade had to take a small lifeboat out to negotiate with the commander aboard, and within an hour, they were given permission to dock within the city itself.

Neither of the twins were very happy to wake up, but four days at sea was some nice down time to catch up on some rest at least. Luke had started getting used to a somewhat human schedule, so he was less grumpy about it than Asch was who made it a personal mission to be as rude as possible to anyone who spoke to him. Tear made sure to fuss over their hair to make sure it was thoroughly hidden as per Guy and Meryl’s instructions. No need to alert Malkuth that they were harboring Kimlascan royalty- even if that wasn’t really the case.

Upon docking, Jade was present on the pier to greet them, and looking ever so slightly concerned. “I’m going to go to the palace to speak with the Emperor, so you should all wait at the inn. If we need you, I’ll send for you.”

“Everything alright?” Guy asked as he looked at Jade curiously.

“I just want to check on this proposed peace treaty you bartered with Kimlasca. There have been some… reports that I don’t like the sound of. It might be something, might be nothing. I won’t know for sure until I speak with his majesty though. So, if you’ll excuse me,” he said, walking off with a couple of guards.

Tear looked around with awe, paying little attention the conversations happening around her as she took in all the sights of the city. This place was beautiful, clean, and intricately designed with water flowing everywhere. “This place reminds me of elven cities!” Tear gasped softly, wonder in her voice.

“It does have that sort of feel to it,” Meryl said, peering over the railing of a bridge to see water rushing below.

Luke looked over at Guy, “Where’s the inn?”

“This way,” the knight gestured, leading them through the streets towards the inn. Guy never thought he’d be so grateful to be back in Grand Chokmah… his home might have been Hod, but the capital was such a welcome sense of normalcy in the whirlwind of chaos that had occurred the past three and a half weeks. It felt good to be surrounded by sights and smells that were familiar, it gave him something stable to grasp onto. “I don’t know about you guys, but I really want to get something to eat that isn’t stale biscuits and over-salted meat.” Traveling by ship was, by no means, any fun for their stomachs.

“I think I’m going to wait here for any word from Jade. Why do you all go ahead to eat?” Ion offered with a smile and Anise huffed.

“Then I’m going to stay here with Ion. I’m hoping that maybe we’ll get the chance to eat at the palace later!” She was already salivating at the idea. So many fancy dishes, so many exotic desserts…! All prepared by royal chefs and bakers!

“Don’t get your hopes up too high,” Guy laughed. “It’s been a couple years since I’ve last been here. His majesty might not welcome visitors in wartime even if you are guard of the Divine.”

“Boooo! Let a girl dream!” Anise huffed with a frown.

Those that wanted to get something to eat went along with Guy to the nearest tavern where the warm smells of spiced wine, rabbit stew, and honey bread filled the air. It would be a fine way to fill the time until there was word from the palace, enjoying good food and drink amongst friends. Meryl boasted many tales of her and her father’s exploits in the desert, Guy spoke of his time here in the city before enlisting in the military, Luke downed fairly impressive amounts of mead while Asch sulked off by the corner of their table. What was most amusing was watching Tear try to decide what she wanted from the menu since everything was entirely new to her up here. Very few food groups overlapped in both worlds, it seemed.

Just barely after having finished their meals, they ran into Ion and Anise on the street, the two of them accompanied by a small squad of imperial guards. “We were just on our way to come get you. Jade’s summoned us to the palace. The Emperor is holding audience for us.” Ion said, motioning for the group to follow. 

They were lead straight to the magnificent palace on the far side of the city, a very impressive and grand structure though not as imposing as the castle in Baticul nor as elegant as the one in Yulia city. Once within, they were escorted up a split staircase to the audience chamber where the Emperor sat on his throne, quite casually at that as one of his legs looked to be hanging over the armrest, talking with Jade at his side. 

“Ah! There you all are!” The Emperor said rather excitedly as the group approached. He straightened himself out and sat upright. “You should have just come with Jade, we wouldn’t have turned you away.” he grinned.

“My apologies, your majesty-“ Guy bowed his head to the man but the Emperor scoffed.

“Bah, you needn’t to be so formal with me, Gailardia. Court formalities give me a headache.” he sank into his throne a bit.

“My apologies… Peony,” Guy cringed a little at using the Emperor’s first name, “we didn’t wish to overreach our welcome during wartime. Did Jade fill you in about the ceasefire?” he asked and Peony frowned somewhat.

“We received word of the ceasefire, but not two days later it was rescinded with an official declaration from Kimlasca for what happened to Daath and the fighting continued.”

Several of them gasped, horrified that the ceasefire fell through. Luke on the other hand grew very, very angry- he did _not_ like it when mortals went back on their word. Did that stupid King even remember the threats Luke had promised him should the ceasefire fail?

“…We are going back to Kimlasca so I can eat that pathetic man.” Luke muttered through grit teeth. Meryl placed a hand on his shoulder to get him to calm down but his reaction had caught Peony’s eyes already.

“You there, you two-“ he pointed to both the twins, “remove your headgear.” he ordered. Both did so, revealing their proud, crimson manes to everyone in the room. Several guards became alert, rushing to circle them with their spears pointed. “Well, well, Jade. I didn’t expect you to be keeping this kind of company with you on your travels.” Peony gave a side glance to the man before looking back at the twins. “And just what do you two think you’re doing here in the middle of enemy territory?”

“I am getting so sick of being mistaken for a noble…” Luke muttered to himself, shaking his head.

“We’re not Kimlascan,” Asch said as he crossed his arms.

“You will watch your tone, Kimlascan dog!” an attendant to the Emperor barked, “Speak with respect!”

“Know your place, _human_.” Asch hissed menacingly enough to get the man to back off. Peony raised a brow at this, looking quite intrigued. Ah, so that’s how it was...

“These two are not Kimlascan nobility despite their looks,” Jade said with a tired sigh, “and if you’d like more support on this from one of your own,” he gestured to Guy.

“Ah- right, yes. They’re not Kimlascan whatsoever, so please, lower your weapons and hear us out. Besides, even if they were Kimlascan, we’re here for peace, not war.” Guy stepped forwards to affirm his words. Peony sat in thoughtful silence before raising his hand to dismiss the guards that had encircled them. 

“I believe you,” he mused, much to the uproar of his attendants and servants.

“Your majes- Peony,” Guy corrected himself, “If you don’t agree to end this war, more lands will follow after Daath.”

“We cannot give you many details, but know that we are here now to prevent that disaster from befalling any more lands,” Ion said as he stepped forwards, clutching the holy symbol around his neck tightly. “Your majesty, I beg you as Divine, cease this pointless fighting to focus on the the real threat.”

“You died in Daath,” Peony said, looking down at Ion skeptically. “That is what the official reports say.”

“No, I survived, and for that very reason I implore you to not let the same fate befall your people, Kimlasca’s people. Do not let any more suffer in the way my people have!”

There was silence through the audience hall for a long while before Peony sighed. “I’m extremely curious as to how you survived whatever it was that happened to Daath, but, you raise a good argument. I will have a letter written up for you proposing a peace treaty- though I cannot grant a ceasefire until Kimlasca offers the same and keeps their word. They’ve gone back on their word before and I will not have more of my people die by being too trusting.”

“That is understandable. Given the… tragedy that happened at Daath,” Ion sighed heavily, shaking his head, “had it not occurred, we would have been here over a week ago to plead for a ceasefire, and perhaps you and King Ingobert could have begun peace talks…”

“What’s done is done, Divine,” Peony said with a sigh, sinking back into his throne as he crossed one leg over the other. “The very moment his generals order his troops off the battlefield, I shall do the same.” he snapped his fingers and an attendant hurried over to him. “Jade, who did you leave in charge?”

“Brigadier General Aslan Frings,” Jade replied.

“Instruct Aslan Frings to authorize a full retreat and ceasefire when Kimlasca’s general issues theirs.”

“Yessir!” the man bowing deeply before running out of the room.

"There, is that sufficient?" Peony asked as Ion nodded.

"Yes, your majesty. Thank you for your help.”

"It is my pleasure, I am not at all fond of fighting war." Luke snorted. "I'm sorry, what is so funny?” Peony asked, cocking his brow.

"I just find that ironic, considering you executed the Kimlascan princess when Kimlasca failed to release Deo pass and Akzeriuth to you." Every single person in that room looked at him bewildered, unable to _believe_ that Luke would _dare_ to bring _that_ up in counsel.

“I swear to the gods, _Luke_!” Meryl had to force herself to keep from shouting at him. The Emperor sat upright and looked very serious, his gaze narrowing.

“The princess’ murder had nothing to do with Malkuth,” Peony said as Luke eyed him suspiciously. “My men never touched her, she never set foot in our capital. In fact, we’ve tracked down the real culprits finally.”

“Oh, really?” Jade asked and Peony nodded.

“Yes, a group of notorious bandits known as the Dark Wings assaulted my men at the border checkpoint, stole their uniforms, and then attacked the princess’ carriage. They went so far as to forge a ransom letter to Kimlasca demanding that territory. It was a setup meant to frame us, and it worked.”

“Wait- Malkuth was not responsible for the princess’ death?!” Anise gasped.

“Of course not, we’re not some barbaric savages,” Peony waved his hand dismissively. “We were all very excited to host her highness for treaty talks. We had a celebration planned and everything.”

“Why would bandits go to all that trouble to start a war though? It doesn’t make any sense…” Ion pondered aloud.

“The Dark Wings were a very well known group that roamed about the borders. We’d often see them in Chesedonia when we were in between jobs,” Meryl said, fidgeting a little as she tried to recall them. “They were a very shady group, and would profit immensely from a war.”

“That they did, though they’ve been caught and subsequently put to death.” Peony said and Luke gave him an incredulous look. 

“I thought you said you weren’t barbaric savages.” Luke challenged and Peony frowned.

“We don’t slaughter innocents, we rightfully punish those that purposefully start a war and kill thousands to line their pockets with coin.”

“Peony, can you include that information in your offer of peace?” Guy asked, “The more we’ve got to prove Malkuth’s innocence to the King, the better.” 

Ion nodded in agreement. “Yes, if you can include anything, anything at all that could help put an end to this war, then please include it. I will personally deliver the letter myself to show that there’s no underlying malicious intent in the offering.”

“I will have a proper letter and offer of peace written up by the morning and secure you travel by carriage to Rotelro Bridge. Taking a ship would be suicide given how aggressive Kimlasca has become after Daath. But you’re on your own the moment you cross Rotelro, obviously.” 

“Thank you, your majesty,” Ion bowed his head to the man.

Peony stood up and moved out towards the group, eyeing them all critically. "A lot's going to weigh on your shoulders. I'm putting my full trust in you all that this will be the last attempt to end this war. I'll have rooms made up for you all, so get some rest while you can." he said with a nod before excusing himself and exiting the throne room.

Guy sighed in relief. "We're making steps in the right direction, but what the hell is King Ingobert thinking? He'd already sent the ceasefire then retracted it? The least he could have done was let Malkuth respond before doing that..."

“He was likely protecting his own, or thinking he was, anyways." Luke said, hands on his hips. "None of the outerlands has ever collapsed before, and the entire continent of Padamiya vanished overnight- taking the Order out with it. If I were in his shoes I'd probably have done the same thing out of fear."

"Humans always make cowardly decisions." Asch stated indifferently.

"A man pushed to his limits will do as he pleases." Jade said as he neared them. "The guards will show you to your rooms. I need to have a few more words with the emperor about what to include in that proposed treaty."

"I'll come too." Ion said and moved briskly to follow after Jade, looking back to Anise when she attempted to follow. "I'll be fine. I'm with Jade."

"Ugh, alright. But if something happens-?!"

"What? You don't trust me?” Jade asked, feigning offense.

"Of course not! But if Ion does, I have to whether I like it or not!" Anise whined and Ion laughed weakly, gently reaching out to pat her shoulder.

“It’s fine, Anise. Why don’t you and the others go relax? With so much traveling recently, I’m sure you’re all tired, right?” Practically everyone there nodded. “We’re just officiating some documents, I’ll be alright, I promise.”

“...Okay, Ion. But if you need anything-” Anise said but Ion brought a finger up to press against her lips, hushing her.

“Shh. Go rest, Jade and I will be back by the guest rooms in no time.”

With that done, those remaining headed off to their offered rooms and welcomed the reprieve. Just like in Keterburg, they were given three rooms along one of the outermost walls of the palace which gave each room a balcony to access, overlooking the city.

Anise's priority was getting food just as she'd hoped for earlier and she already was off beckoning a guard to take her to the dining hall. Tear opted for a walk about the palace with Meryl since she wanted to see more of the outerlands, and Meryl was more than eager to admire the palace itself. The twins went off to do Gnome knows what, likely sleep since that was their preferred method of downtime. Guy returned to the bedroom he was to share, and moved to the washroom take a nice hot bath to rid himself of the smell of sea that plagued him from the boat ride. He did wish he had been given the chance to bathe before meeting with the emperor but, such was life.

With that done and fully dressed, he made his way out to the hall to go and find Tear and Meryl, hoping for some light conversation, but he didn't get far before accidentally bumping into a palace maid who had been carrying a basket of linens. Guy reacted involuntarily, letting out a choked cry as he scrambled back, slipping on the carpet to land flat on his behind.

"Oh, sir! I'm so sorry, here, let me-" the maid tried to reach down to help him up but Guy screamed, scooting away from her as fast as he could.

"Don't touch me!" he was trembling severely.

“B-But sir…?” The maid was at a complete loss, but at his command she backed off, not wanting to cause too much of a scene.

Luke had just returned from a brief walk around the palace’s perimeter (he had wanted to go out to the dock’s to stare out at the sea but the binding wouldn’t let him) to hear a crash and a frightened scream. He had recognized that voice in an instant and hurried over to see what had happened. The maid looked to Luke as he approached, giving him a look that shouted I-don’t-know-what-to-do-here. He held his hand up and dismissed her entirely before stepping behind Guy and bending down to place his hands on his shoulders, giving them a good squeeze.

“Relax,” he instructed the blond, “take in a deep breath…. now, exhale it slowly,” Guy tried to follow his advice, his breathing shaky and stuttered at first but, listening to Luke’s voice, feeling his hands on him helped calm him down immensely. The trembling started to cease, and he was able to take in slow, steady breaths. Satisfied, Luke let go of him and then came around towards his front, crouching down to be eye level with him. “Hey, you’re fine. You’re okay. You see me? There’s no more women here, you are safe.” he said soft but firmly, making sure that Guy heard him.

“I-I… bumped into her… I _touched_ her...“ his voice quivered as he brought a shaky hand up to run through his hair. “Rem, I must have scared her so badly…” he let his hand fall to his lap and he looked up at Luke, “Thanks for…” he gestured rather than speak before he tried to stand back up, his legs feeling like jelly after such a traumatizing experience. “I should apologize to her…”

"Focus on yourself first," Luke said as he pulled himself up to his feet. "You just had a panic attack, take a moment to breathe and collect yourself." There was a bit of concern in his tone, though it was more like a worried mother making sure her child was okay than anything else. "Take a seat," he said, pointing to a decorative fainting couch that was next to a table in the hallway. The blond complied, and Luke took a seat next to him. "Look, I knew that you had problems when it came to women being close but... I didn't realize it was that bad for you." he started, reaching out to take one of Guy's still trembling hands into his own. "Would you tell me what happened? Why you react like this? You said back in Baticul that you couldn’t remember but I know that you were lying... I could probably give you some better advice or consolation if I had some actual insight to the problem."

Guy grew pensive for a long while as he thought over just how to word the story. “I… was young, maybe…five? I think I had just turned five... My family was on a trip to St. Binah and we decided to camp for the night along the side of the road, it wasn’t out of the ordinary back then,” he closed his eyes and took a breath, realizing that he was starting to get frazzled already as he recalled the events. “There was a patrol of Oracle Knights that had been following us, convinced that we were traitors to the Order. We’d only visited Daath the year prior to recieve our annual church blessings, nothing more, but the Divine was assassinated right after we left… it drew serious suspicion. This woman who led the Oracle Knights, she-” Guy stalled and stared at the baseboard of the far wall, feeling his stomach twist up into knots.

“It’s okay, take your time,” Luke said.

“‘By the order of the Oracle Knights, I hereby decree House Gardios an enemy of the Order for the crime of plotting against and orchestrating the assassination of Divine Tritheim.’” he repeated meekly. "She killed my parents but my sister and I ran. Mary didn't get all that far before she was cut down, too. The next thing I knew, I was running through the woods with that knight commander after me, but I managed to hide..." He released Luke's hand to run both his hands through his hair, cradling his head as he leaned his weight upon his legs. "She found me, tried to kill me- I don’t remember how it happened but I ended up killing her myself with a rock and her own sword. I was covered in her blood, and her body nearly crushed me. Her armor was just so heavy and I was so small- I was pinned there for three days until some traveling merchants finally found me and rescued me… Ever since, I’ve been unable to get close to women without fear."

Luke was horrified by the time Guy had finished telling the tale. He had no idea that Guy... that something so _terrible_ had happened to him. He always made mention that he had issues around women but, he played it off so well. He was so good natured, and kind, and funny, and honest. Why did bad things have to happen to such good people?

"I-... I'm so sorry." Luke managed to finally say, looking him straight in the eyes. "I can't believe that you lost your entire family like that..." suddenly he felt terribly guilty, for being able to just beg Lorelei for Asch back and then immediately fighting with his brother right in front of the blond. Humans weren't that fortunate... 

“Sometimes I can’t believe it myself,” Guy laughed weakly, feeling a bit numb and nauseous. That was the first time he had ever told the full story to someone… it hurt, but, at the same time, it felt good, easing such a heavy burden off of his shoulders. He felt like he could tell Luke anything.

"If it makes you feel any better," Luke said, trying to lighten the mood a little, "They've definitely been reborn into the world by now. Humans are subjected to the cycle of reincarnation so..." But even if they had been reborn, they weren't Guy's family anymore. Luke bit his tongue and looked down at his lap... He was terrible when it came to consoling someone…

"Well, that's something at least." Guy mused quietly. His family could live the life that they'd been denied before, even if it wasn't together. It was something small he could find some semblance of comfort in.

"I uh... I'm sorry, I'm not very good with words sometimes..." Luke mumbled embarrassedly, averting his gaze. 

"No, it's okay. I know that you're trying." And that honestly meant a lot to Guy. Luke was putting in the effort to try and comfort him and that alone stood out. Luke didn’t look convinced with that, though. Silently, he leaned over and wrapped his arms around the blond, actually pulling him in for a hug. Guy was momentarily stunned but, after a few seconds of hesitation, he returned the gesture gratefully. Luke had been reluctant to let him touch his dragon features and yet now he was willing to wrap his arms around him and offer the assurance of his company. "Thank you, Luke..." Guy uttered quietly, not daring to squeeze too hard and potentially drive him away.

Luke smiled a little, rubbing his hand along Guy’s back and gently patting him before the hug came to an end. He pulled back and looked the blond over. Guy had stopped trembling, that cold sweat was gone, no more look of complete fear in his eyes; he was relieved that Guy would be okay. "I am glad that I was able to do something for you... It's not much but- well, I just don’t have any experience with trying to comfort someone. You're really the first human I've had so much extended contact with." he admitted a little sheepishly, leaning back to his spot on the couch. "But, I take it that you feel better, so go get something to eat and then get some rest. We have a long day of travel ahead of us tomorrow."

"Well, I think you did a pretty good job for your first real attempt," he laughed a little but nodded at the suggestion. "Yeah, I will. I still wanna find that maid and apologize to her, but I'll eat and get some sleep." He stood up from his spot and ruffled his own hair which had been in a mess from all of his nervous habits. "You get some sleep too, though that's a guarantee. You and your brother could sleep forever." With one last grin, Guy strode off to go and find the maid to properly apologize to her for the display, and once that was done, he joined Anise who was happily eating her fill of fancy cakes in the dining hall.


	16. Process and Punishment

_Gnome Redecan, Sylphday 44 N.D. 2018_

Two carriages awaited the group the next morning by the city gates, as the Emperor had promised. Each had its own coachman, two horses to pull, as well as enough stocked supplies to last the two week trip it would take to reach the bridge- perhaps longer if there’s any trouble on the road thanks to the war. Luke, Asch, Guy, and Jade went into one while Anise, Tear, Meryl, and Ion rode in the other. 

To absolutely no surprise, Luke and Asch had fallen asleep practically immediately once the carriages had pulled out of the city. With the twins out cold against each other, Guy was left with Jade who seemed ever smug, this smirk on his face as he continued to just look down at the blond seated next to him.

"What?” Guy finally asked after ten minutes of this.

“Oh nothing, nothing at all.” Jade hummed thoughtfully.

“…Uh huh?” Guy was not convinced in the slightest.

“I just happened to hear from a maid back at the palace who was greatly startled by an incident involving one of the guests, and how another guest with red hair had ended up comforting him, that’s all.”

“I bumped into a maid and panicked. Luke did his best to help me calm down, that’s all.”

“Mm, yes. But that’s so unusual. He all but hated you not too long ago.”

“We’re friends, Jade. That happens. I’d say you’re my friend too, but you pull things like this-“

“I’d rather not be your friend considering those longing gazes~” Jade sighed dreamily, bringing a hand up to his forehead.

“I’m not still doing this,” Guy muttered, turning his attention to the window to watch the scenery roll by.

About three hours into their trip, Tear silently found herself wishing that they at least had halla pulling them along to make this somewhat faster. Horses on the outerlands were quite slow... At least she could use this time to really take in the sights. The sky was so magnificent- and the stars at night! Oh, those were her favorite.

“Keep leaning out of the window and you’ll fall,” Anise teased with a devious smirk and Tear quickly backed away from it, sinking back into her seat.

“That certainly wouldn’t do,” the princess said, a bit flustered. Anise snickered.

“Anise, be nice,” Meryl warned, placing a hand on the top of the girl’s head to muss with her hair.

“H-hey! Watch it! Those pigtails take forever to get just right!” she kicked her legs against the seat and Ion started to laugh.

“I wonder what the others are doing in their carriage,” the boy mused aloud and Anise snorted.

“Please, Luke and Asch are totally unconscious again,” she pulled at one of the yellow ribbons used to tie her hair up, the pigtail coming undone and falling to her shoulder. “Bet you two hundred gald on that.”

“You know, it’s illegal for members of the Order to gamble,” Meryl chided and the young girl scoffed.

“Not like the Order is exactly around any longer to enforce that stupid rule,” she mumbled, crossing her arms with a pout. “Next time we swing by Keterburg, I am hitting up that casino with without restraint! I plan to make off like a bandit! Ah, no offense, Meryl.”

“I’m not a bandit, I’m a mercenary, there’s a _difference_.”

“Sure, sure. Tell me, how exactly did you meet Luke and Guy again?” Anise challenged and Meryl clenched her hand into a fist tightly.

“You little-!” 

“Ahem,” Tear cleared her throat, drawing Meryl and Anise’s attention. “It’s unbecoming of a lady to resort to petty fights like this.” Meryl’s cheeks started to flush a little, and she quickly straightened herself out, adjusting her position to somewhat mimic the way Tear was seated. Tear paused for a moment, watching this, before she quirked her brow and tilted her head to the side. “Why do you do this?”

“H-huh?” That flush to Meryl’s cheeks darkened a little.

“You attempt to mirror me from time to time. I first noticed when we were riding the halla out to the ruins of Padamiya,” Meryl twitched, clearly embarrassed, “is there a particular reason that you’re copying me?”

“I… well…” she grabbed at the hem of her dress and started to nervously twist the fabric.

“She admires you,” Ion said with a smile. “Isn’t that right, Meryl?”

“Y-yeah… It’s hard not to. I mean, you’re a _princess_ , and not just a princess but a really beautiful _elven_ princess that comes from a secret, underground world of magic and mystery. There’s three dragons with us, you, the Divine of the Order of Lorelei, his guardian, a knighted noble from Malkuth, and then me. And what am I? Some… lowly desert mercenary that had to resort to kidnapping and ransoming for food…” she exhaled a shaky breath, releasing her grip on the fabric, “So… yeah, I try to copy some of the things you do because it makes me feel more special. It’s stupid, I know…”

Tear shook her head. “It’s not stupid.”

“I feel stupid,” Meryl brought a hand up to rub at her eyes. “Ever since I was little and we’d visit Baticul, I used to dream about living in the castle and being a royal. All the luxury and comfort…”

“Being royal is more than living with luxury. You serve your people, not the other way around. It’s a very demanding position with lots of responsibility that’s not to be taken lightly.” Tear said a little sternly and Ion nodded.

“Very wise words. Emperor Peony is good in that regard, though I fear King Ingobert has forgotten this fact. I know as Divine, I need to stay neutral regarding politics, but I fear that Kimlasca will be in for some difficult times ahead if things don’t change, and soon.”

“Ion-!” Anise gasped but Meryl shook her head.

“No, he’s right. When we were in the castle and Luke was… yelling angrily at him, I could see just how broken King Ingobert had become. I genuinely fear for the state of our country… Especially with this war- so many people are starving and being crushed beneath this animalistic _hatred_ for Malkuth. It’s not right, this is not the Kimlasca-Lanvaldear that I know and love. I sincerely hope we can get this peace treaty to his Majesty without delay.”

“Spoken like a princess,” Tear smiled and Meryl’s face flushed a little. “Here,” Tear pulled out a decent sized book from her bag, handing it to the blonde. “A lady is always prepared.”

“What is this?” Meryl blinked as she looked at the cover.

“I borrowed this from Malkuth’s library with permission from the Emperor. It’s a book on proper royal etiquette here in the outerlands. I figured I should study the customs as to not offend anyone while I am here. Since you’re so interested, please, by all means give it a read.”

“I… thank you.” A smile came to her face. “This is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.”

“I swear, you two are almost as bad as Luke and Guy,” Anise groaned. 

“Do you have to ruin every nice moment, Anise?” Meryl hissed and Anise stuck her tongue out at her. “You little-!” Tear placed a hand on Meryl’s shoulder and Meryl paused, before sucking in a deep breath to regain her composure.

_Gnome Redecan, Sylphday 58 N.D. 2018_

The trip to Rotelro Bridge had been anything but adventurous for the group, considerably duller than their past experiences thus far, and by all means, much, much slower. All of them were crammed into their carriages for sixteen hours a day with eight hours at night to sleep off to the side of the road- save for the twins who remained unconscious the entirety of the trip. But, progress was progress, even if it had been at a dismal pace.

When they finally arrived at the bridge, all were rather stiff and sore, eager to get out of their carriages and stretch their legs. Guy was particularly grateful to be free from his carriage, eager to put some distance between himself and the blue dragon who had that ever-knowing, smug grin. The knight had been a captive plaything for Jade to torment all he pleased for those past two weeks, and Rem, he was so glad Luke had been unconscious for the entirety of that.

“I’m so sore…” Anise complained, stretching her arms out over her head.

“I am too,” Tear sighed, “The horses here are quite… burly, compared to the halla.”

“It’ll be a rough few days till we reach Chesedonia, but we’ll manage,” Jade said, cracking his back.

Anise looked over at him and smirked. “How’s your back, old man?”

“With each and every insult about my age, my back gets a little weaker,” he said all too wearily, “I fear I may never be able to fly again.”

“Careful crossin’ the bridge!” one of the carriage drivers called out as the last of the passengers and their belongings had been unloaded. “I doubt the guards on the other side are not gon’ be too keen on lettin’ Malkuth citizens cross. Least you got them nobles with you,” he waved, cracking the reins to have the horses pull. The other carriage followed after, leaving the group there.

“Hey…” Luke said slowly, catching their attention. “We’re close to Tataroo valley… Jade, I want to inspect the gateway and talk to Sync.”

“Out of the question. That’ll tack on at least three day’s worth of extra travel and we only have enough supplies to last us until Chesedonia,” the man stated firmly. “Our first priority is to stop the war to slow the spread of the miasma. That will further protect the gates.”

“If I don’t inspect the gates I can’t gauge how much _time_ we have left before the next one falls. If Tataroo falls, Grand Chokmah along with your precious Emperor are going with it.” Jade grit his teeth… Luke did raise a good point, but they just didn’t have the time- not to mention, Sync was notoriously difficult to work with…

“…We’ll come back after Baticul to inspect it.” Jade finally said after a few moment’s pause.

“Fine. Let’s go then,” Luke muttered as he picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

The bridge was impossibly long, spanning between two countries by connecting them via the Ispanian peninsula. It would have been more bearable had the carriage drivers at least drop them off at the other side instead of forcing them to walk it- ah well… at least they were finally getting the chance to use their legs.

A small group of Kimlascan soldiers stood stationed just at the bridge’s end. Luke exhaled sharply as both he and his brother, along with Ion, came forward to greet them. “Halt,” one of the guards spoke up, raising his spear while the other guards made a grab for their weapons. “By order of his Majesty, King Ingobert VI, the border between Kimlasca and Malkuth is closed. No one is to pass.” Ion stepped forward, the peace missive in hand.

“I am Divine Ion of the Order of Lorelei. I carry with me a peace missive from his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Peony IX. I must speak with his Majesty immediately.” the guards looked to one another, murmuring quietly, clearly unsure of what to do.

“Let us through,” Asch snapped, clearly done with this pointless delay, “or would you rather be relieved from duty by not allowing two high ranking nobles back into their own damn country?” he narrowed his gaze and the guard with his spear pointed immediately took a couple steps back, lowering his weapon.

“N-No sir! P-please, welcome back home!” The guards made it a point to move out of their way before saluting.

Meryl sighed heavily, resting her hands on her hips as everyone started to continue walking. “I swear, I have never dealt with more guards than I have after I met you two.”

“It’s a gift,” Guy snickered a little. “Though, if you were starting to kidnap and ransom people I think you would have dealt with a lot more, I’m sure.” he teased, only for Meryl to deliberately step closer to him which caused a mild bout of panic, the blond involuntarily hurrying over to Luke’s side for some sort of protection. This got a smirk out of Meryl. And out of Anise. And out of Jade. The three of them shooting each other smirks as Guy quickly apologized to Luke for suddenly latching onto him like that. What was surprising was that Luke didn’t seem to mind, and instead, turned his anger towards Meryl for purposefully triggering Guy’s fear.

“Hey… that’s..-!” one of the guards said quietly in realization as the group walked off. He quickly whipped around to face his fellow guards, pointing at one of them. “You-! Go warn General Cecille in Chesedonia! That’s the one the King mentioned!”

“Sir!” he saluted before running off to grab one of their horses.

Jade noted the immediate change amongst the guards, keeping an ear out for anything out of the ordinary despite the shenanigans within their group. “…I think it best we be on guard.”

“I’m sure they’re just sending word ahead,” Anise shrugged casually. “The last thing they’d want is for the Divine to be killed or some of their precious nobles to bite the dust,” she quipped. Jade merely stuck his hands in his pockets, saying nothing further. Clearly something was amiss, though they appeared to be in no immediate danger… 

“You two are going to be in your element for once; no frigid snowstorm,” Guy mused as he looked to the twins.

“The desert isn’t exactly our element per se, but since the volcano is gone, I guess it’s the closest thing to it,” Luke said, bringing his hands up behind his head. “I’m really going to miss Mt. Zaleho…”

“You’re not the only one,” Asch said, kicking at the dirt for his next few steps. “That was my home.”

“You can always come back to Deo Pass with me,” Luke offered and Asch gave him an appreciative smile.

“It’s not like I can guard a pile of rubble anyways. It’s broken, so what’s the point?” the older redhead shrugged.

“I wonder if we’ll see my father…” Meryl thought aloud, catching Luke’s attention. “With what happened to Daath, I’m sure most travel by sea has been shut down, so there should be a slew of travelers coming through the desert. My father would likely be in Chesedonia.”

“Your father is a…” Luke paused, not quite sure how to sum him up, “…very large, intimidating man.” he weakly laughed as Asch quirked his brow at him.

“…He’s a human.”

“And yet he has this way about him that makes you feel so incredibly small and insignificant…” Meryl giggled. “But he was kind, and very knowledgeable. I was surprised he spoke Dovah’mir.”

Asch blinked. “He spoke it, but he’s not a dragon?” 

Luke scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. “Oh please, it’s not like he was fluent. His accent was terrible and he only knew a few words strung together in a broken sentence. If anything he met the guardian of Zao at some point, though Noelle is pretty reclusive and doesn’t like getting out of her territory all that muc-“ Anise yelled very excitedly, effectively cutting Luke off.

“Finally! I have been waiting to hear a female name from you for forever! I was beginning to wonder if female dragons even existed!”

“...You do know that there are other dragons out there that aren’t tasked with guarding gates, right?” Luke asked, looking at the young girl. “There are a lot of us.”

“Yeah, but it’s nice to know that there are women who guard the gates, too.” she huffed.

“Are we ever going to meet this Noelle?” Meryl asked curiously to which Jade offered his casual shrug.

“It’s possible, especially if we choose to visit all the other gateways to inspect them. I know we spoke of visiting Sync’s in Tataroo Valley after going to Baticul, though it might be more beneficial to visit them all while we have the chance.” 

“At least Noelle is easier to tolerate than her grating brother…” Luke hissed as he rolled his eyes.

“I don’t know why you have such a problem with Ginji. He’s okay, for a blue,” Asch mused and Luke shot him a bewildered look.

“Who are you and what have you done with my brother?” Asch punched him in the arm for that.

“Knock it off- What are you smirking at?” Asch looked to Jade who had the biggest of grins on his face.

“Oh nothing, nothing at all.” he laughed, quickening his pace. The older redhead started to growl in response but Luke placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

“Just ignore him… You learn how to tune him out eventually.” Luke muttered.

“Trust me, you don’t….” Guy sighed heavily, raking a hand through his hair. Jade could only laugh.

_Undine Redecan, Lunaday 4 N.D. 2018_

What was supposed to be a hustling and bustling city of trade and commerce that smelled of exotic spices and had more people packed into the marketplace than should be considered healthy was instead a gigantic blockade of armed Kimlascan soldiers barring any entrance. A young woman with honey blonde hair and a bright red Kimlascan uniform stepped out, putting herself in front of her soldiers. “Halt! By order of the King, you are all under arrest for harboring a fugitive!”

“F-fugitive!?” Meryl blinked, suddenly feeling quite terrified. Out of everyone, she _was_ the desert mercenary turned bandit… Don’t tell her that her father and his company had gotten into serious trouble with the law!

“I’m sure whatever has been done can be pardoned,” Ion stated as he moved in a little closer. “I am the Divine of the Order of Lorelei, and all those here are traveling under the protection of Daath.” There might have been no more land, but his status should still count for something, right?

“I’m sorry, Divine Ion,” the woman said, “but with what happened to Daath, the Order no longer holds any real authority. Any attempt to resist will be treated as hostile action and will be retaliated against.”

“At least tell us the charges!” Ion pleaded.

“Gailardia Galan Gardios,” the woman barked as she turned her gaze to the knight, “you are hereby deemed an enemy of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear for threats against his majesty himself!” she yelled, and Guy stood there, stunned. 

W-what…?

“I-I never made any threats against the king!” he cried out.

“Save it,” she sneered. “You’re to be brought back to Baticul to face punishment for your crimes.”

“Like hell he is!” Luke snapped, ready to step forwards and tear into her, but Jade held him back. “-Jade!”

“More fighting causes more miasma. Cease your hostilities.” he ordered and Luke actually complied, backing down. “They don’t need to know about us yet, play along.” Luke looked back over to Guy with worry on his face. Just what the hell was going on?! “General Cecille, how lovely to see you again,” Jade smiled at the woman but her frown remained firm.

“Drop your weapons,” Cecille ordered, and, reluctantly, everyone in the group did so. A guard came up behind Guy and grabbed his arms, wrangling them up behind his back. Another guard came by to pick up their discarded weapons while a third started to bind all of their hands with rope. The general finally turned to acknowledge Jade’s presence, a smirk on her face. “I am going to get such a nice bonus for handing you, of all people, in. Take them to the ship and secure them in the hold!”

“Ma’am!” the guards saluted.

Being led through the overcrowded streets of Chesedonia with an armed guard escort and their hands tied behind their backs was… degrading. Many of the citizens shouted angered slurs at them, even going so far as to throw things like rocks or dirt. The redheads were surprisingly calm all throughout this, much to the group’s collective relief. The situation was already terrible, there was no need to make it worse by lashing out. Thankfully the walk from the edge of the city to the Kimlascan embassy wasn’t very far. The Kimlascan port was just beyond it, as was the ship that was to take them back to the capital.

They were practically thrown into the ship’s hold, the door behind them slammed shut and locked tightly as the guards walked off, leaving them alone. Meryl brought her hands down to her left boot and kicked a dagger out. “A lady is always prepared,” she smirked, breaking through the rope. She immediately started to work at Tear’s, while the dragons used their claws or brute strength to tear through their own binds.

“Why the hell are we going along with this?” Asch asked gruffly, brushing off some of the dirt that had been thrown at him. “This is beyond asinine-”

“This will take us directly to Baticul, circumventing any possible distractions. Knowing Kimlascan law, Guy’s crime warrants him judgement via the king.” Jade said calmly as he rubbed at his wrists.

“What crime?!” Guy cried out as Luke tended to his bindings. “I haven’t done anything to threaten the king!”

“No, but I did,” Luke said, slicing through the ropes, “and because he’s not stupid enough to try and punish me, he’s going to punish you for it instead. Like hell I’ll allow that to happen though.”

“Will the two of you just kiss already?” Anise whined and both men shot her an incredulous look. 

“Anise, not now.” Meryl frowned at her.

“Come on! The tension is killing me, here!” Luke started to growl and she rolled her eyes. “Alright, alright, fine.”

“We’ll have to think of a plan once we reach Baticul. It’s a two day ride by ship from Chesedonia,” Jade said, cupping his chin.

“They took all of our food, too.” Tear sighed heavily.

“I propose we start with Anise,” Luke barred his teeth and Asch nodded.

“No way, why me?! Why isn’t Ion on the menu?!” she cried out, hiding behind the boy.

“Some guardian if you’re willing to sacrifice him to a couple of hungry dragons,” Asch scoffed as he crossed his arms.

“Settle down, or else the noise will draw in more guards,” Jade warned, everyone there falling silent.

“Whatever the case,” Luke spoke up softly, looking to Guy, “I won’t let them harm you for crimes that I committed.”

“Thanks, Luke…” Guy said with a shaky breath. Though the comforting words from the dragon did little to ease the anxiety that had twisted his stomach up into painful knots.


	17. Unbound

_Undine Redecan, Undineday 6 N.D. 2018_

The ship pulled into Baticul’s port early that Undineday morning, a heavy fog enveloping the docks and shrouding the squadron of soldiers standing by awaiting the ship’s docking. The air had an especially harsh nip to it. Cecille tugged at the collar of her uniform and rubbed her hands together to try and generate a little bit of warmth. Winter was coming up fast if it was already this cold so early in the season. 

The soldiers down on standby at the docks were a welcomed sight. “Goldberg!” Cecille called out from the deck of the ship as crewmen lowered a plank, allowing her to walk down to greet her comrade. “I take it my carrier pigeon arrived given the presence of guards here?” she asked and the older man nodded, quite the serious expression on his face.

“Yes. His Majesty was most pleased by the news. Preparations have been made for both the fugitive and the remaining prisoners.”

“Most excellent. This’ll be swift then,” she turned to face back towards the ship, “Bring the fugitive out!” she called out towards the guards still onboard.

“Ma’am!” They saluted her before running off into the underbelly of the ship.

A guard raced down into the hold, unlocking the metal bars to grab at Guy by the arm gruffly, dragging him out. He was pulled up onto the deck of the ship and then down to the docks where two other guards secured his arms behind his back. General Goldberg looked down at Guy with a solemn expression. Guy in turn looked quite pale, and frankly, nervous. “You should look nervous,” the guard that had grip of his left arm said in a condescending manner. “Threatening the King is a crime punishable by death, and that’s exactly what they’re going to do. They’re gonna make a public spectacle out of it,” he taunted, and Guy’s eyes widened.

“W-what?!” he gasped, his stomach doing somersaults while a cold sweat clung to his brow. Public execution?! This was all some sort of sick joke, right?!

“I’m sorry, Gailardia,” General Goldberg said somewhat softly. “When I had heard that it was Eugenie’s boy that was wanted, I-“

“Don’t you dare drag my mother into this!” Guy spat angrily, fighting against the grip of the guards. “You’re not sorry! You’re blindly following bad orders and not caring to think for yourself. I never threatened the King!”

“Ill mannered just as he is ill bred,” Cecille sneered. “This is why you don’t mix Kimlascan bloodlines with Malkuth’s. Is the axeman ready?”

“Yes,” Goldberg nodded.

“Take him to the commons. The rest of the prisoners will be transported to the dungeons after the execution.” Cecille said, and the guards saluted her. 

Guy thrashed in their hold, refusing to go down without a fight. But he was vastly outnumbered, out armed… he recalled some of the things that Luke had done back when he first arrived at the military camp and he kicked his leg out backwards, crushing the knee of the guard behind him. The man shrieked as he crumpled to the ground, releasing his grasp on Guy’s arms. The knight jumped forwards and rolled, avoiding a guard that tried to tackle him down to the ground. When he came back up to his feet, he made a grab for the hilt of Goldberg’s sword, drawing it and pointing it towards the general.

“I’m not going _anywhere_ ,” he growled, narrowing his eyes.

“Drop your weapon!” Cecille yelled as she pulled out her own sword and aimed it at Guy’s throat. The guards rushed out to encircle him, drawing their own weapons. He was completely surrounded with nowhere to go- his heart started to race, palms sweating as a loud ringing came to his ears, drowning out everything around him. There was no way out of this… there was _no_ way out of this, he was going to be publicly executed and there was nothing he could do to stop it. A spear point jabbed up against his back and thoroughly reminded him of his position. “Drop it, now!” she screamed.

Would death be so bad...? Would he finally get to see his family again? No- he’d come back as someone else, reincarnated, just like Luke had said. Luke… Tear had said back at Yulia city that death was one way to void binding magic… With him out of the way, Luke would be free and he and the others could continue on to fix the various gateways, to stop the miasma. They could go on without him… He wasn’t essential to the group and was, in fact, only a hinderance. Maybe this was what had been fated for him- dying for the greater good; some sort of cruel joke played by the gods that seemed to loathe humanity.

Guy relaxed his grip until the sword fell from his hands, clattering onto the docks. Goldberg made a quick grab for his sword with the remaining guards rushed in to grab hold of the prisoner roughly, this time Guy making no movements of resistance. He hung his head and kept his gaze toward the ground, the will to fight no longer within him. 

 

“-Something’s wrong,” Tear said alertly, looking around the hold of the ship to see the others there with her, “I heard shouting.”

“Damnit…!” Luke angrily kicked at the metal bars that caged them, a loud clang echoing throughout the hold. “For the love of Lorelei- Jade!” he shouted at the man, who merely shook his head.

“Not yet.”

“They’re leaving,” Tear said, hearing the faint footsteps of the guards escorting Guy away from the docks. Luke grit his teeth and looked down at his left hand, seeing the repulsive purple scar stretched out across his palm.

“We’re just going to sit here?” Meryl asked with worry.

“For now, yes. If we all go rushing out we might put Guy in further jeopardy. We need to plan this carefully-” Luke kicked the metal bars even harder, cutting Jade off.

“Screw that! Who the hell put you in charge!? In case you have forgotten, if he gets more than half a mile away from me this mark acts up!” Luke shoved his palm into Jade’s face. The blue dragon pushed Luke’s hand away and gave him a pointed look.

“I _haven’t_ forgotten. In fact, I’m counting on it.”

“Just what the hell do you mean by tha-..AT?!” Luke gasped loudly as he immediately doubled over, clutching his left hand.

“There we go,” Jade said a little too casually. Asch and Tear came rushing over to Luke’s side, seeing the scar slowly start to spread out even further, much to Asch’s horror. Tear was still disgusted, but at least she had seen this before and knew what to expect. Jade proceeded to bang against the metallic bars. “We have an emergency!” he called out loudly, and Luke shot him a harsh glare.

“I swear to the gods, I will kill you for this- Ah!” he cried out, his entire left hand now that disgusting purple colour.

“You keep saying that, and yet you never act on it,” Jade shrugged.

A guard came rushing down the stairs to see what all the commotion was about, finding Jade by the bars while Luke was huddled down and crying out in agony in the background. “What’s going on in here?!”

“It’s just terrible! Our friend here is in trouble,” Jade said, looking back to Luke.

“What’s wrong with him?” the guard asked.

“I’m afraid it’s a rather nasty case of incurable sudden-death-of-limb syndrome. It won’t be long now till his whole arm falls right off!”

“W-what? I’ve never heard of such a thing!” the guard looked to Luke, seeing his left hand. He cringed at the sight of it and took a step back. “That’s not, like, contagious or anything, is it?”

“ _Very._ ”Jade said before abruptly coughing, making it a point to hack in the guard’s face. Meryl and Anise smirked, catching on to this little plan right away. The both of them started to cough and wheeze dramatically- Anise going so far as to sway a little- and the guard took several steps back, panicking.

“Y-You people need to be locked up in quarantine!” he yelled before rushing back up the stairs. 

Jade could only grin as he turned to face the group, “That’ll keep the guards busy for a little bit. Now come on,” he held his hand over the hinges of the bars, flash freezing them before kicking the bars down. “We don’t have a whole lot of time.”

“Use my brother as a prop like this again and we’ll have _serious_ problems, you hear me?” Asch hissed angrily at Jade.

“Duly noted. Now, let’s go.” The blue dragon urged.

 

“-General Cecille!” the panicked guard called out frantically as he reached the deck of the ship, “General Cecille!”

“Quiet down, she’s off with General Goldberg escorting the prisoner to the executioner’s block,” another guard replied, eyeing the first guard critically. “What the hell’s gotten into you?”

“It’s those other prisoners! O-One of them has an arm about to fall off and- and it’s super contagious and the rest of them have it!”

“What on Auldrant are you talking about?”

“Sudden-death-of-limb syndrome! One of them coughed on me…! Oh gods-! I-is my arm going to fall off, too?!” he started to pull off his gauntlets, inspecting his hands to find any traces of purple.

“Sudden-death-of…? What? There’s no such thing!” the second guard laughed.

“Yes there is! One of the noble imposters’ hand was this sickly purple!”

“By the Seven- Marvin, there is _no such thing_ as sudden-death-of-limb syndrome. The prisoners were messing with you.”

“I-...W-what?” he blinked.

“Yeah.” the second guard nodded. Suddenly Marvin felt incredibly foolish and his face flushed red. His expression twisted into an angered scowl and he shoved his gauntlets back on before storming back down into the hold. “Why, oh why, do they always assign me with the idiots...?” the guard muttered to himself.

“-They’re gone!” Marvin cried out and the guard whipped around to face the hold.

“What do you mean they’re gone?!” he yelled as Marvin came running back up the stairs.

“I mean the cell is empty and the prisoners are gone! Oh man- General Cecille is going to kill us!” he brought his hands up to his helmet.

“Not if we _find_ them instead of standing around like a couple of imbeciles! Start looking! They can’t have gotten very far!”

 

Just beyond the docks in an alleyway in the lowest parts of Baticul, Tear ceased her spell and the shroud that had been masking them from sight disappeared. 

“Impressive invisibility spell, my dear.” Jade smiled at Tear who in turn looked a little faint.

“Thank you… it’s difficult casting high level spells here. So little mana…”

“It takes some adjustment. We’ll try not to have you use too much magic. Now, to find Guy. Tear, did you happen to overhear where they were taking him?” she shook her head. “Damn. Well, it’s very likely they’ll be taking him to the top of the city to meet judgement with the King-” Luke whimpered loudly, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “-would any virgins in our group be willing to cry for him?” he asked with a heavy sigh.

“Alright, alright,” Anise huffed, resting her hands on her hips, “but only because I don’t want any pain inflicted on Ion.” She took a deep breath before reaching up to grab at her pigtails. One, two, three… pull! She yanked on her hair and _hard_ , a sharp yelp sounding from her as tears immediately formed in her eyes. 

Asch helped Luke down off of his back and pulled Anise in closer. Luke pressed his palm up against her face and the tears worked their healing power, the redhead taking in stuttered gasps as the pain ceased. The mark had finally stopped spreading. “Ah… ha…. T-thank you…” he managed to say to the young girl.

“Don’t mention it… but you need to break that binding, and soon, because that was painful!” she whined, rubbing at her head slowly.

“Trust me, I’ve been trying…” Luke muttered, “Let’s get a move on- we’re within the half mile radius and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Just how are we going to make it all the way to the castle, though? The guards will be looking for us!” Anise pointed out but Asch shook his head.

“We do what we have to,” Asch said, crossing his arms. “If that involves taking out guards or even the King, then so be it.”

“Won’t that jeopardize the political situation?!” Meryl gasped with worry.

“Not at all. What’s important is to stop the war, Ingobert is firmly standing in the way of that. We remove him, we can achieve our goal.” Jade supplied.

“It will turn into a power vacuum with no official heir! The nobles will be fighting amongst each other for their shot at the throne- it will be chaos!” Meryl raked her hands through her hair.

“We can worry about this _after_ we’ve saved Guy, you idiots! Now let’s _go_!” Luke hissed loudly.

They embarked, sticking to the alleyways of the city to avoid the bulk of the guard patrols. It was a more roundabout way of doing things that took far longer than Luke was comfortable with, but it worked as they were able to avoid detection as they left the slums and entered into the commons. There was quite a bit of people here, making it much easier to blend in with the crowds that were amassing for seemingly no reason. Meryl found herself quite confused by the sheer volume of people packed into the central area of Baticul’s commons.

“I don’t understand- there’s never this many people here… How are we possibly going to make it to the gondolas to take us higher up?” Meryl asked.

“We’re not…” Ion said grimly, his gaze glued to one spot as a hand reached up and clutched his holy symbol tightly. Everyone immediately turned to see what he was looking at and they were sickened.

A platform raised up in the exact center of the area, Guy’s hands bound behind his back with his head bowed in shame, and an executioner sharpening his axe on a grindstone nearby. Many people in the area were shouting anti-Malkuth slurs, jeering at the blond for making threats against their beloved King. On the tier above, the King himself, along with a host of nobility stood there arrogantly, looking down on the condemned man with disgust.

“They’re going to kill him!” Meryl cried out, bringing her hands up to her mouth.

“We _have_ to stop this!” Anise practically yelled, grabbing at Luke’s sleeve and shaking it. “You have to do something!”

Luke went numb, seeing Guy being dragged across the makeshift platform by a couple of White Knights. He was taken over to a wooden block stained with blood, and the axeman had finished sharpening his weapon. There was no time- _he had to do something_!

He moved to take a step forwards when- “We found the escaped prisoners!” a guard shouted, pushing his way through the crowd to come up behind Luke and practically tackle into him. The guard grabbed Luke by the left arm, and the redhead had to keep himself from screaming as his arm was jostled roughly, twisted up behind his back. A kick to the back of his knees had Luke down on the ground before a hand grabbed at his hair and yanked him upright. “You are under arrest for impersonating a noble!”

“Luke-!” someone from the group gasped- Luke didn’t know who. Other guards came in to surround them, there was fighting, Luke didn’t care. Everything around him started to slow down as the axeman approached the block. One of the white knights had kicked Guy down, forcing his head up against the block. The axeman had a smug grin on his face, as did the King on the tier above.

Guy was going to die.

Guy was going to die.

_Guy was going to die._

**That was not acceptable.**

‘ _Ful krii niin…_ ’1

Something deep inside of Luke _snapped_ as pure, unhinged _rage_ completely filled his being. He twisted his good arm out of the guard’s grasp and summoned his claws, slicing through his hair- the crimson locks falling freely onto the ground. Now free to move, Luke spun around and cleaved through the guard’s armor, slitting the man’s throat. He then used his claws to slice open his own palm, copious amounts of blood splattering out that quickly ignited into blazing flames.

‘ _Bo amvit,_ ’2

The fires were fierce, growing in size and intensity. Luke locked eyes with the King for a brief moment, slitted pupils narrowing as the fire became so big and bright, it engulfed him completely. Nearby citizens scrambled away screaming, the axeman had dropped his weapon and backed away. Guy pulled himself up and off the block, looking at the flames with a look of hope on his face. They came for him…!

‘ _Krii niin pah!_ ’3

An ear piercing screech rang throughout the city, many of the nearby windows in buildings shattering. Mighty crimson wings beat the flames until extinguished; a powerful red dragon standing on its hind legs where Luke stood moments prior. He roared out _loudly_ with a deafening cry, pouncing onto the stage to snap the axeman up into his jaws to toss across the commons like a ragdoll. Any guards that tried to pursue him ended up crushed by his tail.

“-Luke!” Guy shouted, scrambling up to his feet, but the dragon paid him no heed as he beat his wings to fly to the upper tier, landing directly in front of the King that had been trying to flee. The man had fallen backwards as the ground shook beneath Luke’s weight, and the red dragon had pinned him down with his claws.

“I don’t like playing games, _human_!” he hissed menacingly, leaning down to bare his teeth at him. “No one gets to hurt him but _me_!” he raked his claws, upturning the brick and cobblestone around the King.

Ingobert tried to scramble back the best he could but the dragon forced his claws down, keeping him from worming his way out. "Malkuth doesn't deserve freedom! They killed my daughter and you- You and him-!" Ingobert began rambling, desperately trying to find some sort of plea that would give him his life. "He had to die! If he died then Kimlasca would win, Kimlasca would prosper!”

Luke sneered, growling as clouds of thick, black smoke started to come from his mouth. He almost wanted to laugh, watching the King rave hysterically, trying to make his case to spare his life. As if he cared about the prosperity of a human kingdom, or some stupid war, all he cared about was Guy and his safety- which the King had jeopardized. “I warned you.” Luke spat angrily, rearing his head back.

“We would survive in unprecedented prosperity while Malkuth drowned in flames!"

“Drown in flames? _Happy to oblige._ ” 

‘ _Bo amativ dii brit droliik do gral,_ ’4

With a great inhale, Luke breathed out an impressive barrage of flames directly at the King. Ingobert had screamed- had- but he soon fell silent as the flames engulfed him. All that remained by the time Luke had finished was a charred corpse and some ashes that scattered to the winds. The other nobles had panicked and scurried away like rats to avoid a similar fate as the guards were… were helpless now. They didn’t know what to do! In a matter of moments, their king had been completely destroyed, and none of them wanted to take on a clearly _very_ angry dragon.

With the king taken care of, Luke flew back down onto the stage where he had left Guy, landing pretty roughly as the pain of the binding returned with a vengance. He started to cough- or, whatever was akin to it for a dragon- before he began to heave. A thick, disgusting looking purple sludge came pouring from his mouth and onto the stage. He heaved three more times before he started to stagger, and in a burst of flames he reverted back to his human form, falling face first in the sludge, the mark and the scar on his hand both completely gone.

Asch leapt up onto the stage and came running over to his side, Jade doing the same as both dragons began to check him over. Guy watched with worry, terrified as Luke had completely stopped moving.

“Is he…?” he asked, holding his breath and dreading the answer.

“The seal is broken,” Jade breathed in amazement. Oh thank the gods, Luke was alright… relatively speaking.

“Yeah, no kidding. How the hell did the miasma get inside of him!?” Asch asked angrily.

“It must have been the sword.”

“That _thing _has the power to put _miasma_ inside of _dragons_?!” Asch looked horrified.__

__“How else could you weaken and control such a powerful creature?” Jade asked, gently lifting Luke up and out of the muck, before turning to Guy. “I wonder how he managed to break through the binding…” he asked a little sarcastically with a raised brow. Despite everything that had just occurred, Jade still had to be glib..._ _

__“He’s alright?” Guy asked Jade, just to confirm._ _

__“Other than tired? Yes, he’ll be fine. He just needs some rest-”_ _

__“-GUY!” Meryl came sprinting over towards the stage, as did the others. She nearly latched herself onto him but caught herself just at the last moment, remembering his fear. “You scared the hell out of me! Out of all of us!”_ _

__“I- I’m sorry… Thank you guys for coming.” he smiled at them, and for that, Meryl punched him in the arm. Much to her surprise, Guy didn’t flinch, though she was chalking that up to the adrenaline that was likely pumping through his system after such… dramatic events._ _

__“Of course! You’re an important member of this team!” Anise cheered and Guy weakly laughed._ _

__“Think you could cut my ropes?” he asked and Meryl pulled out her dagger, a smile on her face._ _

__“A pleasure.”_ _

__Now free from his bindings, Guy rubbed carefully at his raw wrists, which Tear stepped forwards to offer to heal them. Several guards came rushing towards them, circling around them for what felt like the hundredth time that day._ _

__Asch snarled, causing a few of them to back down a bit but ultimately, they held firm. “Are you humans stupid?” Asch asked, cocking his head. “Or do you just have a death wish that badly?”_ _

__“That… thing just murdered our king!” One of the guards cried out, pointing to Luke’s unconscious form._ _

__“We demand justice!”_ _

__“Kimlasca will collapse! The war isn’t over!”_ _

__“You’ve doomed our people!”_ _

__Meryl had heard just about enough of this. “Everyone! Silence yourselves!” She said, stepping forward. “Do you not realize that standing there, shouting at us for justice will get you nowhere when the guilty party isn’t even conscious?” She snapped, resting her hands on her hips. “The war _is_ over,” she then motioned for Ion to step forward, bringing with him the missives of peace. “We are here, traveling with Divine Ion of the Order of Lorelei, with a peace missive from his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Peony IX, calling for a ceasefire. There has been a terrible mistake regarding the execution of Kimlasca’s late princess.” Murmurs arose from that as the guards looked at one another. “This war never should have happened. Malkuth was not responsible for her highnesses’ murder; war profiteering bandits were. We came here to _stop _the fighting.”___ _

____“But the King!” A soldier urged as Meryl looked up at where the grizzly scene had just taken place moments prior._ _ _ _

____“Was too far gone. Did you not hear his ranting at the very end? Calling for innocent people to die to crush an enemy that was never really an enemy? He would have driven Kimlasca into the ground! I understand that this was… one of the most inopportune times, and this will now create a struggle amongst the surviving nobles for claim to the throne. If you would like for us to stay to sort things out, we shall.”_ _ _ _

____“But Meryl-!” Anise gasped as Meryl turned to give her a stern look._ _ _ _

____“Luke was responsible for the King’s death, Luke should be the one to handle this. He is, however, unconscious,” she then turned back to the guards. “Allow us a place to let him rest, and once he’s come to, we will attempt to work things out diplomatically, yes?” she asked._ _ _ _

____The guards all looked at one another hesitantly, silently nodding to each other before they all lowered their weapons. “Alright… That sounds more than reasonable. Please, come with us to the castle. We’ll call for the other nobles when that one awakens.” they motioned to Luke before turning and walking off. When their backs were turned, Meryl let out a very shaky breath as Tear came up and gently placed a hand on her shoulder._ _ _ _

____“That was the leadership of a true princess.” She smiled warmly._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 So kill them...  
> 2 Go ahead,  
> 3 Kill them all!  
> 4 Fly onward my beautiful agent of ruin


	18. To Be Queen

_Undine Redecan, Slyphday 7 N.D. 2018_

Luke awoke with a jolt, his entire body sore. With a cursory glance he was able to discern that he was in a dark, unfamiliar room with no recollection as to how he ended up there. Despite his limbs feeling heavy, painful, and a bit numb, he forced himself to sit upright to find that he wasn’t actually alone; Guy was curled up asleep on the bed next to him. He stared at the blond for a few moments, wondering just what had happened before he looked back around the room. This place was pretty expansive, and had quite the lavish decoration of red and golden hues- very reminiscent of Baticul’s castle but… how did he get here?

Taking a moment to think, the last thing he could remember clearly was being on a ship headed towards the city, but beyond that… everything was just this hazed, red blur. Thinking back, he felt angry, and he really couldn’t explain why such a strong, emotional reaction was coming from this lapse. He tried to put it out of mind when he noticed Guy shifting in his sleep, rolling over to snuggle into the pillows.

He leaned over to get a better look at the blond when strands of short red hair fell into his line of sight. He backed away looking very confused. When did he cut his hair...? Foggy memories of Guy standing before the executioner’s block came to mind, and then after that everything went back to red… But what he did remember clearly from that lapse was that _feeling_ of something inside of him breaking- something that knew that Guy dying was not acceptable… That if Guy died because of him, because of crimes that he committed, he’d never be able to forgive himself. 

He had to protect him, he had to do whatever it took because at that moment, Guy was his number one priority.

...Had Asch actually been right all along?

It was a… humbling thought as he sat there and stared down at Guy with a confused, slightly dismal look on his face. He knew that he had come to care about Guy, enough to openly admit that he called the man a friend, but how deeply did that care run? To actually call it love… that was just absurd! Guy was a human, he’d be gone in a mere sixty years-! That thought caused his chest to ache painfully and Luke brought a hand up to clutch it.

This was that same feeling when he saw the executioner nearing the knight… that same feeling where he knew that Guy would be taken from him. He laughed a little bitterly, bringing his hand up to rub at his head when he noticed his palm- his left palm no longer had that scar! There was no traces of purple, his hand was completely normal! 

Did… did he break through the binding?

Very brief flashes of his encounter with the King came to mind and his eyes widened. That’s right… that’s what had happened! Oh gods, what the hell came over him? That anger, that _rage_! Sure, Luke had been known to have anger problems upon occasion but it had never elevated to that level before, not to the point of outright murdering another individual out of cold blood! Sure, he _has_ eaten a few people over the years but all of them had done something to warrant it without question. The King had clearly been driven mad by his own grief… but it would have been just as easy to remove him from power without that massacre.

Tinges of purple teased at the corner of his mind and he recalled the miasma. Oh gods… That’s right, that… that explains the rage. He felt so ashamed of himself… to have let the miasma within him fester enough to that point where he could actually succumb to it… He was suddenly grateful that he had turned all of that rage onto the executioner, guards, and the king rather than any of his companions. If he had woken up to discover that he had been the one to kill Guy instead, he didn’t know what he would do with himself. 

Guy mumbled something quietly in his sleep, and Luke looked back over at him with a small, weak smile on his face. He knew why he was able to break through the binding now: it was no longer necessary. Luke was still bound to Guy, but in a much different way than before; willingly, to protect what he cherished. He… he cherished him.

Luke leaned back in and brushed a few loose strands of blond hair away from Guy’s face. “I’m glad that you’re safe,” he whispered, placing a soft kiss onto his forehead.

Guy started to stir and Luke immediately backed up, his cheeks flushing a little. He wasn’t caught, was he? 

“Nn… do we have to get up...?” the knight grumbled, and Luke started to snicker a little as Guy slowly picked himself up, his hands scrubbing at his face. Guy stared out blankly for a moment before registering that Luke was finally awake. A slight grin came to his face. “Gotta say, that was one hell of a rescue.” Oh thank the gods, Luke hadn’t been caught. “How’re you feeling?”

“Sore, if anything,” Luke said, looking down to his left arm. “Though that’s to be expected given how much miasma was inside of me…” he shuddered at the thought, remembering just how painful it had been to purge it from his body, or that horrid taste… Disgusting! 

“Jade thinks that the sword had the power to bind and control dragons by forcing miasma inside of them, but he has no idea just how the weapon can do that… We’re hoping that the researchers Tear put on the case can figure something out, and soon.” Given everything that was happening with the miasma seeping into the gateways and now there had been miasma within Luke, he couldn’t help but to think that somehow it could be connected.

“I don’t remember everything that happened...” Luke said with a heavy sigh, his shoulder slumping a little.

“That’s alright, we can go over it later. Right now you should focus on resting,” Guy tried to assert but Luke shook his head.

“I do remember I killed the king... he was willing to sacrifice you!” Luke looked up at Guy with worry on his face, “And when the guards kicked you down onto the executioner’s block and the axeman pulled out his axe I just…-!” he stopped, leaning forwards to rest his head down onto Guy’s shoulder. “I just wanted you to be safe!” he clutched Guy’s tunic tightly as he trembled slightly.

Guy was taken aback, not expecting Luke to do something like this at all. Sure, they had hugged back in Grand Chokmah, but even then it felt a little bit forced given Luke’s rather conservative attitude towards physical comfort. This was certainly odd, but it wasn’t unwelcomed as Guy definitely relished in the closeness between the two of them. A warm smile came to Guy’s face as he brought a hand up to run through Luke’s now short hair, gently playing with a few of the end strands. “I think I know the feeling,” he mused, bringing his other arm around to wrap around Luke’s torso, holding him close. “I’m sorry that I worried you. And I’m sorry you had to go through so much pain with that binding, but you’re free now.”

“Yes, I am, but,” Luke paused with a small sigh, leaning his head a little into Guy’s touch, silently enjoying the feeling of the knight’s fingers playing with his hair, “I still have many jobs to do. I have to check on the other gateways, speak with the other guardians, find some way to purify the miasma… possibly even find some way to merge the two worlds back together if the gateways are in critical condition... Gods, that would be a nightmare… Lorelei would be furious…” he sighed heavily, shaking his head to end up in the crook of Guy’s neck, “But, this is a job for dragons and since the binding is broken, there’s no need for you to be dragged along-”

“Do you really think I would duck out now, after everything that we’ve been through together?” Guy asked, honestly sounding a little offended. “Binding or no, I really do care about you, Luke, and I want to stick by you, no matter what.” Luke’s cheeks flushed a little darker. He was grateful his face was obscured- he didn’t think he’d be able to look him in the eyes after that.

“Can we… just stay like this for a little while?” Luke asked sheepishly and Guy chuckled.

“Absolutely,” he hummed, resting his cheek against Luke’s head as the two of them stayed there in that peaceful embrace.

Luke felt… wonderful like this. The arm around his waist, the fingers trailing through his hair, all of it felt so very nice and calming… He loved the feeling of their bodies pressed up against one another, he loved Guy’s scent; leather, sweat, the polish used to shine his armor; but he especially loved the warmth that Guy seemed to exhume constantly, not to mention the feeling of belonging, and safety that came with it. He had never felt like this before, about anyone, not even his brother- and he loved his brother dearly… The thought of Asch and what he had said before made Luke bitterly laugh as he shook his head. “I really hate to admit it,” Luke started, leaning back a little so he could look Guy in the eye, “but I think both Asch and Jade had been right.”

It was love. It was some form of love he couldn’t place that was definitely different than familial… but, it _was_ love. 

It was terrifying and raw and bizarre and he didn’t understand it in the slightest. But the joy he felt over something so simple as a hug, the feeling of being safe and secure, even looking at Guy and seeing him smiling- it was unparallelled. But what was truly frightening was openly admitting it, out loud, for Guy to hear. His stomach twisted up into knots when he fully realized just what he did, and Rem- he should have just kept his mouth shut. Damnit... this was all so confusing and nerve wracking!

Guy stared at Luke wide eyed for a brief moment. After their conversation back in Grand Chokmah... He had never actually considered that Luke would possibly hold the same feelings for him, much less admit them out loud like that. After all, Luke was a very powerful, magical being that was so much higher in standing than he could ever hope to be, and he was just a measly human by comparison. Why would such a grand creature ever consider something as lowly as him? He had kid himself into thinking it could have been a possibility thanks to Asch, but that conversation they had, after that he really did think it would have never been a possibility. He had never been so glad to be wrong in his life. “Yeah?” he asked with a bit of a sly grin, his brows slightly raised. “Well, setting Asch off to the side for a moment, you know how Jade is. He’s always right about everything.”

“I know, and I hate that… I can hear Jade now, ‘Oo Yolus, fos dreh hi lorot hi, mah ko lokaal voth mun med tol? Dreh hi ni mindok hi lost heyv wah kosov?’1” He mocked the blue dragon’s voice in a rather silly, condescending tone. He then paused, before looking back at Guy with a slightly concerned expression on his face. “…If word gets out, Asch will likely try to kill you just on general principle for this. I’ll have to have a talk with him…”

“Aha, yes, please do. Yesterday was as close to death as I’d like to be for a long, long time,” he weakly laughed, and the two of them fell into a bit of an awkward silence, not quite knowing what to say to the other.

“So… what do we do now?” Luke asked, finding himself feeling incredibly insecure about his lack of knowledge and understanding of his emotions and feelings.

“Whatever you’re comfortable with,” Guy said sweetly, reaching out to gently cup Luke’s cheek with his hand. “Though, maybe you ought to kiss me on the lips rather than the forehead.” Luke’s face flushed darkly as he backed up a bit on the bed.

“You were awake when I did that?!” he yelped and Guy laughed, pulling him back in closer for another hug.

“It was very sweet,” Guy cooed softly in a reassuring manner, and Luke relaxed a bit in his embrace. “Unexpected, most definitely, but very sweet and appreciated.” The flush didn’t dissipate from Luke’s cheeks. “Come on, Luke, I mean it. Here,” Guy leaned in and placed a soft kiss to Luke’s forehead before he grinned at the redhead.

Luke leaned his head forward and pressed his forehead up against Guy’s, closing his eyes. “I… I think I love you…” It felt so awkward to finally come out and say it, but, when he opened his eyes and looked at him… it was scary and nerve wracking, but at the same time, he felt alright because it was Guy. It was such a difficult, vexing feeling...

“I love you too, you know.” Guy said with a smile, bringing his hands back up to cup Luke’s face. “I’ve felt this way about you for a little while now,” his thumbs brushed over the smooth skin and he admired the beauty before him: such a handsome face, those stunning emerald eyes, that flush to his cheeks, the red of his hair… “I never thought you’d ever requite my feelings,” he leaned forwards and closed the gap between them, placing small, tender kisses onto Luke’s lips.

At first, Luke had gone rigid stiff, startled by such an action. However, after the first couple of kisses, he relaxed a bit, and started to lean into it. It was enjoyable… really enjoyable... Guy dropped a hand down and wrapped it around Luke’s waist, putting a little pressure on the small of Luke’s back to try and get him to scoot even closer. The redhead obliged, but at this point he was practically sitting in the man’s lap- how much closer can they get? 

Luke tried to adjust his position real quick so he was sitting on his knees over Guy’s legs, so they could be as close as possible without any real discomfort. There, that was much better. He placed his hands onto Guy’s shoulders and then allowed his arms to drape around him, smiling warmly at the blond before he kissed his forehead again. His heart was beating quickly, things were starting to get a little hazy, but all he wanted to do was just hold this human. To be close with him, and keep kissing him until they both got tired of it, and even then, he wasn’t sure if he could stop…

There was this primal urge in the back of his head that kept nagging at him, something compelling him to continue and to go further. Kissing just wasn’t enough, he needed to touch him, feel him, be _with_ him. It dawned on Luke that he was then feeling the overwhelming need to physically mate with him.

This caused a mild short circuit in his brain as he suddenly found himself unsure of what to do next. Mating was for producing offspring and that was it, dragons didn’t mate just for the hell of it… but Guy’s scent was so intoxicating and he just wanted to run his fingers through that hair and- stop, stop. 

Why? 

Why did he crave for Guy’s touch so badly? Everything in his head was screaming at him to continue but he didn’t understand _why_. The hesitation on his face must have been evident, because Guy looked rather concerned about him. He opened his mouth to speak but Luke shook his head and cut him off. Pushing his thoughts and doubts aside, Luke caved in to his instincts and grabbed Guy by the shoulders, shoving him down onto his back so he was now over him. The redhead chewed on his bottom lip nervously before leaning down and placing a much more hungry, aggressive kiss on him.

It took a mere second for Guy to wrap his mind around the act before he was groping the back of Luke’s tunic to draw him in ever nearer to return the kiss with a fervor. Oh, he could get used to this.

As Guy parted his lips a little at the feel of teeth lightly biting the lower, one of his hands trailed down to the hem of Luke’s tunic and slipped beneath to run along his back. He scraped his blunt nails up Luke’s spine until his shoulder blades where he splayed his hand and pushed Luke down closer to him. "We can stop," he uttered against his mouth as he kissed him repeatedly before continuing, "Any time you want... But I _really_ don't want to, Luke..." The heat of the moment was just too much to bear.

“Stop talking,” Luke hissed beneath his breath, attempting to silence anything that would interrupt them from this… whatever this was. He didn’t understand it in the slightest, but fuck, did he enjoy it. It felt too good, he wanted more, all of this was so intoxicating, he wanted to revel in it for as long as he possibly could. If there was to be regret, or disgust, or shame, that could come later when all of these wonderful sensations were over. Guy scraped his nails up against Luke’s back again and the redhead shuddered. Strange, unfamiliar tingling sensations shot throughout his body and he could feel himself growing aroused.

It was too hot in here.

In an instant his clothes became too restricting, another obstacle in the way of what he really wanted. He pulled back away from Guy to hastily pull his own tunic up and over his head, tossing the garment carelessly to the floor. He then gently placed his hands on Guy’s lower abdomen, snaking beneath the hem of his shirt and walking them up towards his chest. Luke leaned in and kissed him again hungrily, forcefully parting Guy’s lips with his tongue in an effort to deepen it.

Guy rolled his hips upward against Luke's, reveling in the pleasure that coursed through him while those hands that roamed up his own chest only added to it. He sat up a little only to have Luke surge in for another vigorous kiss and Guy returned it with eagerness. He completely gave in to Luke's physical prompting, yanking up his own shirt, breaking the kiss only long enough to peel it off and toss it side. Luke's hands cupped his face to tug him in for another kiss, drawing his tongue along the blond’s lower lip. He needed more.... His hands slid downward again to the redhead's hips where he tried to guide Luke into another grind, desperate for physical satisfaction.

“….Pruzah, pruzah, Zu'u hind Zu'u los diinek naan riid?2” Jade’s voice came from the doorway. Both Luke and Guy whipped around to see the man standing there, an incredulous and somewhat amused expression on his face. Luke’s face turned dark red as he scrambled to get off of Guy, but his leg had gotten tangled up within the bedsheets and he ended up falling out of the bed when he had tried to get up. “Los hi bek til?3” Jade asked, having to stifle a laugh as Luke abruptly stood up, holding his shirt in his hand.

“Fos los dreh het?!4” Luke spat, grabbing one of the pillows from the bed to throw it at him- however Jade oh so gracefully dodged it. “Fahvos dreh hi unstiid lost wah gral truk?!5” he practically shouted, beyond angry to be ripped from such a close, wonderfully intimate experience.

“Zu'u vust sahlon hin sahlon fos seik hi lost vopraan,6” Jade supplied, and Luke actually relaxed a little, though he still harbored deep resentment towards the blue for this. “You’re needed in the audience hall.” He then swapped back to the common tongue so Guy could understand.

“Why? This couldn’t have waited until later?” Luke asked, pulling his shirt back on over his head.

“I’m afraid not. When you killed the king, you left an open throne, with no heir, to the rest of the nobles who want to fill the spot. And since the war is technically not over just yet, they’re looking to you to decide the deadlock.”

“Why me?”

“Well, you killed the King. This is your responsibility.” Jade stuck his hands into his pockets.

“….This really couldn’t have waited until tomorrow!?” Luke seethed.

“All the nobles are currently gathered in the audience hall. They’ve been impatient since yesterday. Meryl has been keeping them placated this entire time. I’d hurry up and decide things if I were you.” He said, before looking over at Guy. “So, doing a little more than just touching horns this time, huh?” Luke grabbed another pillow and threw it as hard as he could at the man.

“You could have _knocked_ , Jade!” Guy yelled, feeling just as mortified as Luke was.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Jade asked with a shrug and Luke growled.

“Get out!” Luke shouted angrily, fire igniting by his feet. Jade only laughed as he walked off while Luke quickly extinguished the flames. “Hinzaal… hinzaal wuth jul! Zu'u fen krii mok fah daar! Zu'u bo wah kriivah mok fah daar!7” he spat bitterly as he kicked one of the pillows into a wall. Well, so much for his arousal… after what just occurred, that was completely gone. Guy though, not so lucky by the look of things. At least they hadn’t progressed any further than they had, or things would have been _really_ embarrassing. “...Go splash some cold water on your face or something.”

“I think I need a cold bath,” Guy said with a sigh, carding his fingers through his hair.

“We don’t exactly have the time for that according to Jade… Rem, talk about rude...”

“You’re telling me…” Guy muttered, picking himself up and off the bed where he walked a little awkwardly off to the washroom to tend to himself.

When the both of them had managed to pull themselves back together and looked fairly presentable, they wandered down the hallways off toward the audience chamber where everyone waited for them. Before entering, Luke summoned a few of his draconic features- his horns, claws, eyes- purely as a demonstration of power, to remind those humans that he was above them and that his word was final. 

The doors opened, and Luke saw a rather large group of nobles clustered together before the steps of the throne. The nobles all looked somewhat the same, that red hair and green eyes combination- save for a few that had the rather generic brunette or black hair. There were a couple of blonds sprinkled in for variety, that was interesting to see.

Guy veered off to join over with Anise, Meryl, Ion, and Tear off to the side of the throne room to observe, allowing the dragons to do as they pleased when it came to deciding who would rule the country. This was going to be interesting, given Luke’s rather questionable history with diplomatic matters. Well, that wasn’t fair- he was successful back at Yulia city.

“Finally! Do you have any idea how long we have been waiting?” One of the older male nobles huffed as Luke strode by only to be immediately put off by the horns.

“Your wait does not concern me,” Luke said as he walked up the steps and then took a seat on the throne. “In fact, if anything, I would have forced you all to wait until tomorrow,” he then shot Jade a bit of a glare as both Jade and Asch stepped up to stand on either side of him.

“Why is there a Malkuth general standing next to you?” One noble asked a little quietly.

“Genun hinmaar,8” Luke stated, and both Asch and Jade manifested their own draconic features as well. There was a sharp murmur in the crowd at this. “As higher beings of legends and magic, created directly from the gods to serve them, we reign over you. My word is law.” He said, leaning back into the throne a little as he crossed one leg over the other. “Does everyone understand this?” he asked with a sneer, and they silently nodded. “Who is immediately next in line for the throne?”

An older woman, frail looking with pale red hair stepped forth. “My name is Susanne, Ingobert was my older brother.” she said, bowing to him respectfully. Luke eyed critically for a few moments, and then took notice of the sour faced man standing next to her.

“Is that your husband?” Luke asked as she nodded. Hm, no good... “While you may have the right to claim by blood, I hereby renounce your claim and deem it invalid. You are too sickly and frail to rule, your husband will usurp any power you have and continue down Ingobert’s path of destruction.”

“Outrageous!” Her husband puffed up, “You have no right to intrude upon our country’s politics-“

“Nahlot!9” Luke yelled loudly, silencing him. “I have very little patience for humans that do not know their place and I am in a _bad mood_. You will do well to avoid further outbursts unless you wish a similar fate to your former King.” He hissed, narrowing his eyes.

"Then who will be King!?" One of the nobles demanded as he stepped forward, though one look from Luke had him stilling. "You take our King and refuse the only blood relative- who are you going to put on the throne then!?"

A somewhat meeker noble stepped forward, far younger and clearly only nudged to do so at his parent's prodding. "We don't wish to upset you but... we need a ruler. I- My family and I could provide you a list of all those in line for the throne in order of rank or relation?" The woman behind him nodded firmly and seemed as if a poor response would send her into an angry fervor. They were simply animals, willing to throw just about anyone to the dogs if it meant that they could get a hand at the throne themselves.

"My daughter would be an ideal candidate!" One of the older men declared as he pushed his daughter forward. "And if you want to rule yourself then let her be your queen!"

Luke had to keep himself from laughing when he heard that. “Oh please, you people must think quite highly of yourselves if you think that I actually give a damn about your politics or your country.” he said and that silenced them. “As far as I’m concerned, _none of you_ have any real claim to the throne. None of you are _worthy_ of _anything_ you have.”

“Luke, if I may?” Tear asked as she stepped out from the side, walking towards the throne. Luke nodded and Tear approached, whispering into his ear. He remained silent for a few moments, listening to everything she had to say. He gave her a questioning look, but she smiled and nodded before stepping down and retreating back to the side.

“Meryl,” The blonde jumped upon hearing her name.

“Y-yes, Luke?” she asked as he motioned for her to come forwards. She could feel the ire and hatred directed towards her from the nobles behind her.

“I’ve been told that you handled the situation immediately after the King’s death with grace, diplomacy, and heartfelt sincerity.” She blinked, slowly putting the pieces together. “As well as keeping our company here placated until I woke up.”

“Ye-yes.” she nodded. “I… just did what was needed to be done.”

“You have met with Emperor Peony personally, and you are currently aware of what’s really at stake,” by which he referred to the gateways and their imminent collapse. Again, she nodded. “Tear spoke of your deep passion for this country, one that any noble in this room couldn’t compare to. You are, by far, the best candidate in here for the throne. Crowning you would ensure immediate peace between Kimlasca and Malkuth, as well as open talks regarding the gateways.” Meryl gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth. “Do you object to this?”

“I-… I am honored that you would consider me for this but… I’m not of noble blood-“

“You’re damn right you’re not of noble blood, you ill bred trash!” a man from the crowd shouted angrily.

“A ruler is _made_ , not born.” Luke yelled, standing up from the throne. The group of nobles backed up a little, wary. “You have demonstrated your ability and devotion. You have shown a great potential for excellent leadership.” He motioned for Meryl to come towards him. With one of his claws, he pierced his thumb pad and allowed the blood to pool, before using it to draw a draconic symbol onto her forehead. “Mirodah’Vildro dun ahrk suleyk, Zu'u du'ul faal.10” He finished, withdrawing his hand from her face. He then motioned for her to turn around and face the group of nobles. “By Lorelei’s grace, I hereby crown you Queen Meryl Oakland I, of the kingdom Kimlasca-Lanvaldear.” He said, looking out to the nobles. Meryl stood there, trembling, as tears welled up in her eyes. 

Queen… she had just been named Queen!

“Lady Susanne,” Luke called out as the older woman stepped forwards. “Would you be willing to be her highness’ official royal advisor?” Susanne looked at Meryl and then gave a warm smile to her.

“She is a fine young woman, and I would be honored to teach her what I know,” Susanne said with a polite curtsy.

Meryl took a breath and straightened up, determined in both expression and posture. "As my first act as Queen of the Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, I agree to the peace treaty offered by Malkuth. There will be no more mindless bloodshed in a desire for power. Word must be sent immediately so that the ceasefire can be withheld on both parts." Lives would be saved, the miasma would be halted. Meryl smiled then as she looked to Luke. "I promise to do the position pride." She was in this for the people, for the kingdom. She knew she could make this place better.

“I know you will, that’s why I picked you for the position.” Luke said as he rested a hand on her shoulder. “I have faith in you.” She smiled broadly at him, nodding her head.

“Thank you. Divine Ion?” she then turned, motioning for the boy to step forwards. “If you would please oversee the draft of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear’s official response and see that it makes it’s way to his imperial Majesty post haste?” She asked as he bowed.

“It would be my honor, your majesty.” he said, before he and Anise were escorted out of the audience chamber with one of the former royal advisors. Luke then turned to the remaining nobles, seeing their disdain and hatred clearly written on their faces.

“I am feeling generous,” Luke then started, catching all of their attention. “I will give you this one chance: swear fealty unto your new Queen, or be exiled.” Many of them looked startled by this. “I am offering you the chance to walk away now, because if I ever hear that any of you tried to usurp her, hinder her, or backstab her, I will personally come back here and _eat you_.” He flashed his teeth, and many of them backed up, and looked quite afraid and hesitant. After a moment of deliberation, three of the nobles stepped forwards. “Do you swear fealty to her?”

“Never.” they shook their heads.

“Then you are hereby banished from the kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, your title and estates to be divided up amongst the people.” Luke said as they turned, and walked out of the room. “Anyone else?” he asked, but the rest that remained shook their heads. “Do you swear fealty to your new Queen?”

“Yes,” they replied, nearly in unison. 

“Do you pledge to honor, serve, and do what is necessary to protect her?”

“We pledge,” they bent down and bowed. “All hail to our new queen!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Oh, Flame, what do you think you're doing, falling in love with a human? Don't you know you have a duty to behave?  
> 2 ...Well, well, I hope I'm not interrupting anything?  
> 3 Are you alright there?  
> 4 What are you doing here?!  
> 5 Why do you have to ruin everything?!  
> 6 I could smell your pheromones which meant you were awake.  
> 7 Stupid... Stupid old man! I will kill him for this! I swear it I will murder him!  
> 8 Show yourself,  
> 9 Silence!  
> 10 With Lorelei's grace and power, I crown thee.


	19. Death and Politics

As the noble swore their allegiance for better or worse to their newest Queen, it seemed as if everything was finally falling into proper place. The kingdoms would cease their petty, pointless warring and would both be headed by someone who was willing to do whatever it took to make things work. It was quite the positive outlook, which was so incredibly needed after two horrible, blood-soaked years of intense fighting. While some nobles might still have had reservations towards their new leader, there was a small collective sigh of relief that filled the room now that Meryl had agreed to the peace treaty. Who knew, maybe this young woman really could do great things for Kimlasca, they’d just have to watch and see what she would do.

The nobles were dismissed, and they slowly started to disperse, leaving the throne room nearly empty as only a few straggled behind to observe their new queen for a couple moments longer. “Well, that’s done with,” Jade said as he dissipated his draconic features, rolling his neck a little to be rid of the stiffness that had set in with standing so still. He had forgotten how taxing court affairs could be. “That lacked extraordinary finesse, but it got the job done. Once her new Majesty finishes work on the peace treaty, we should start our rounds to the gateways. Though,” he shot a look over to Guy, “that’ll take at least a day so you’ll be free for the night.” Guy could only groan at that obnoxious smirk.

“You’re the one that forced me into even doing this,” Luke huffed as he crossed his arms, dismissing his own features. Asch did the same. “You _know_ how much I hate politics, and-” before he could finish his sentence Meryl came rushing over and tackled him with an over-exuberant hug.

“Oh thank you, Luke!” she cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I had to keep my face in front of those nobles but I just can’t hold it in any longer!” she sniffled, rubbing at her eyes. “Your belief in me means so much…!”

Luke sighed heavily, reaching an arm around her to hold her back, gently patting her. “It’s a big responsibility,” he warned her, “and many of those people are not happy about what just happened. This will be hard for you.” She laughed, wiping a tear away from her eye.

“Are you forgetting who you’re talking to? I’m a Desert Lion!” she beamed proudly as Luke snickered.

“Just put rafflesia pollen extract into your enemies’ tea and you’ll do just fine.” he grinned.

“Luke!” she whacked at his arm.

“Long may you reign, your Majesty,” Luke said as he bowed to her and her cheeks flushed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me,” he said as he turned to face Jade, shooting him a glare for that earlier remark, “I heard that snide comment, you jerk!”

“Me, a jerk? Oh how you wound me so!” Jade said, putting a hand over his heart. “It’s not my fault you and Guy chose the wrong time to-”

“STRIN VOK!1” Luke practically shrieked, his face going beet red.

“...Is _that_ why you smell like pheromones?!” Asch asked, looking positively repulsed. “That is _disgusting_! He’s a human!”

“You and Guy were-!” Meryl gasped before an absolute grin came to her face. “I knew it! I knew it from the start! Anise owes me so much gald right now!” she cackled. “I mean, it’s really no wonder you never went for my advances, Luke!”

Tear looked stunned as her gaze landed on Guy. “You… were fornicating with a Guardian?!”

“No! No! Not yet- I mean- Damnit, Jade! Look at what you’ve done!” Guy was so red faced from all the embarrassment the tips of his ears burned.

"I know exactly what I've done and I'm enjoying each and every minute of it." Jade mused with a grin. "I believe you both have explaining that needs to be done." The dragon took a seat in the throne, smirking deviously. This had obviously been his plan all along.

“Guy!” Tear yelled loudly, hands resting on her hips as she moved towards him. “That is… so unacceptable! A horrible taboo! How-“ Luke stepped forward and put his hand onto her shoulder.

“Drop it.” he said sternly.

“B-but he-“

“Drop. It.” he repeated and Tear, now looking very worried and distraught, backed off. Luke removed his hand from her and turned to face Jade. The redhead glared at him, obviously very, very angry. “I’ve put up with your ‘antics’ the entire time you’ve been a part of our expedition, but this has gone too far, Jade. This is none of your damn business!” He spat through grit teeth.

“Fod nii vothiz vahlok meyez atac wah mun, geh nii dreh trun.2” Jade replied harshly as Luke twitched. “Dreh hi vodahmaan tol rok los mun? Tol rok fen naram wuth ahrk dir ahrk hi fen ni?3” Luke balled his hands up into fists.

“Like your precious Emperor?” Luke hissed as he narrowed his gaze.

“Rok drun vok vahpruzah zahd.4” Asch stepped in, voice harsh.

“It’s still _none of your damn business!_ “ Luke yelled, before storming off angrily.

Guy shifted his weight from foot to foot uneasily before rubbing the back of his neck. It seemed like the only ones who weren't upset with them about this in particular were Meryl and Jade, but Jade was.. he was incredibly difficult to read. "This wasn't a choice, Tear." He said quietly before finally turning to leave the room. 

At first he thought that maybe he should just leave for a while, take a walk and give Luke some time but he'd only made it to the doors when he changed his mind. If Luke wanted to be alone, he could tell him. And if he needed someone, Guy would volunteer to comfort him. Communication was key.

With the help of a castle guard, Guy was able to track Luke down back to the bedroom they had been using while Luke had been unconscious. He gently knocked and called out Luke’s name before opening the door, finding the redhead sitting on the edge of the bed, slumped over with his head in his hands and tears in his eyes. “I-... I can leave if you want to be alone…” Just what the hell did Jade and Asch say to him?

Luke sniffled and rubbed at his eyes. “No, it’s alright...I’m sorry, I’m just… I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.” he sighed heavily, shaking his head. He took notice that Guy still seemed somewhat hesitant to be there, so he motioned for Guy to come over and take a seat next to him, which he did. “The outerlands have to come down into Eldrant; everything else will fall if we don’t, it’s just a matter of time… with Padamiya out, the surrounding lands will absolutely cave in eventually, and even more people will die. But... when the two worlds mix, the gateways are no longer necessary, and then… I won’t have a duty anymore. I was created specifically _for that purpose_ , and now… I just don’t know what I’d do.” he sighed very heavily.

Guy wasn’t sure just how to respond to that. Jade had made mention previously how Luke and Asch were both created by Lorelei, but he never really took the time to sit down and think about what that meant. Luke’s entire identity revolved around keeping the gateways safe, as did Asch’s. Jade on the other hand had been assigned gate duty later on in life it seemed, so he had the option of actually living the way he wanted to for who knew how long. It was both interesting and disconcerting to see how Luke was struggling to find a sense of self that no longer involved being a guardian.

“I also really… don’t get it,” Luke went on to say, his hands clenched tightly into fists that rested on his knees. “I don’t get _what_ came over me earlier with all of that touching-”

“No, no. I should apologize for that. I saw the hesitation on your face and I should have made us stop, but I was too caught up in the moment to fully care about whether or not you actually understood what you were trying to do. That was my fault.”

“No it’s- I was the one who caved in to those urges. I pushed myself, that was my choice.” Luke sighed heavily, looking down at his lap. “I just… I don’t understand why I feel the way that I do about you, and even then, I don’t understand the feelings. I don’t understand why I feel so… attracted to you when you’re going to be gone in sixty years.” That was an unexpected sucker punch that Guy hadn’t expected in the slightest, and he found himself feeling a little bit winded after hearing that. “Do you have any idea just how short sixty years is to a dragon? I just… I really don’t get it… You’re going to get sick and injured and grow old and then die one day and I _really_ just don’t understand…” Luke was growing frustrated as the tears started to return.

“Did… did Jade and Asch tell you this?” Guy asked quietly and Luke nodded. Oh, that _really_ hurt. “You’re right,” he said and Luke looked up at him with surprise on his face, “you’re absolutely right. I will be gone someday and there’s nothing that can be done about that. That is just a fact about human life, and I can completely understand why you’re feeling so conflicted right now. If I was in your position, I doubt I’d know what to do either.”

“That’s… not all that reassuring,” Luke laughed weakly and Guy shook his head.

“It's kind of what love is, I think. A lot of times, people don't know if it'll last forever or it'll just be fleeting, or if their partner will live their whole life with them or if they'll be gone before they knew it," he looked to Luke and reached out, brushing away tears from his cheek. “I think people love for what they can have, no matter how long or how little it lasts. Look, when the gates are gone, you're going to be free to live how you want. You could sleep for whole centuries, go out and pose as a human, rain havoc down on villages, plunder them and kidnap princesses if you wanted. You could do anything, Luke. And as much as I want to tell you that you should take the chance to be- experience this with me, I want you to be able to do what you want without regret."

Luke tilted his head so his cheek was resting in Guy’s hand, taking comfort and pleasure in the warmth of the touch. Guy was so… Luke wanted to laugh at the irony. He wanted to hate him because then it would be easier and less painful in the end, but, here Guy was, saying all of these amazing, heartfelt, wonderful things that made the tears only fall more. Luke sucked in a shaky, stuttered breath, his shoulders trembling as he choked back a sob.

The thought of losing Guy… it hurt too much. But the thought of living his life without him at all? That was unbearable.

Tired, emotionally exhausted, Luke leaned up against Guy for all of his support. “…I’m sorry you had to see me like this,” he muttered, slowly peeling himself off of Guy to rub at his sore, puffy, reddened eyes. “I should just… go to bed… I can’t function like this,” he slowly shuffled off to the side, leaning himself down against the pillow. When settled, Luke reached out and took hold of one of Guy’s wrists, gently pulling on him. “…Stay with me?”

Guy nodded and toed off his boots before he slid under the covers to join him, taking one of Luke's hands to bring up and kiss his knuckles gently. "You don't really have to ask." Luke weakly smiled in response, and it wasn’t long till the both of them had drifted off to sleep.

_Undine Redecan, Loreleiday 8 N.D. 2018_

That night had been incredibly long and, for Luke, incredibly restless. Despite the warmth and comfort the castle and Guy had provided, Luke ended up tossing and turning for hours, quite often having to get up to walk around to keep from waking Guy. Jade and Asch’s words still echoed in his mind relentlessly, and Luke would try to bring up Guy’s words to counteract this, but it was impossible to dislodge the older dragon’s harsh criticisms... The sun then started to rise, and Luke realized he had pretty much spent the entire night awake with worry. Looking in a mirror on the far wall, there were some pretty dark circles under his eyes and he looked like a disheveled mess.

He wanted to crawl back into bed and just hide, not have to deal with everyone when he felt so terrible, but they had a schedule they needed to stick to… Today they had to fly over to Grand Chokmah to deliver the signed peace treaty to make it official, and then they needed to check all the gateways… There was just so much to do, and all of it sounded completely exhausting… but at the very least, he could finally fly again. That he was looking forward to.

Dressing into some fresh clothes and taking a comb to his hair, he quietly exited the guest chambers to head over to the dining hall where he found Meryl, Anise, and Ion seated at the table with a mound of paperwork before them. Anise was thoroughly asleep in her chair, though.

“...Have you been up all night?” Luke asked as they tiredly looked over at him.

“We could ask the same of you- you look terrible.” Meryl said and Luke shook his head.

“Last night was… rough. Jade said some truly awful things,” he crossed his arms, looking down at the paperwork on the table. “Is that the draft for the peace treaty?”

“Oh, no.” She shook her head. “Ion’s been gracious enough to give me aid in going over Kimlasca’s current policies and laws. Ingobert sure left this place in shambles… It’s going to take years to clean up this mess as well as higher taxes to rebuild our infrastructure. It’ll create many jobs but at the same time I worry that raising taxes on everyone immediately after taking the throne will look suspicious,” she said with worry as Luke sighed.

“Welcome to royalty. Sorry I had to saddle such a horrible burden on you.”

“No, don’t be. I am very glad you gave me the opportunity to make this place better. It is my home, after all.” Luke gave a weak smile. “…Do you want to talk about what happened?” she then asked.

“No it’s… it’s alright. T-thank you, though.” he said, a little bit embarrassed. “I never thought humans would try to console me.” Ion chuckled.

“You’re our friend, and we’re in this together.” Ion said, rubbing at his eyes. “If you’re ever unhappy, you can always talk to us.”

“…That’s,” Luke found himself a bit speechless, “Alright.” he then nodded, before looking around. “So, when can we eat? I haven’t eaten since before Chesedonia.” He said as Meryl stood up.

“G-Goodness, you’re right! You wait right there, I’ll see if the kitchen has any meat for you!” she said before rushing off.

“…She sure is energetic in the mornings.” Ion weakly chuckled.

Meryl returned to the table after some time with a large tray of food and a servant lingering nearby who had offered to carry it for her. Queen or not, she could handle carrying a tray. Setting it down after moving some papers she retook her seat. "I hope you like wild rappig meat." One of the plates on the tray had an assortment fruits, bread, and cheeses, clearly a spread prepared by one of the kitchen hands rather than Meryl herself. She picked up a piece of bread and slathered it with some sort of jam that she didn't care to worry about and began to eat, looking across the table to Luke. "Will you be okay to travel today?"

"If you really aren't in shape to come, we could go on ahead with Jade and you could meet us at Tataroo Valley in a few days." Ion suggested as he picked up a few of the fruits, popping one of the smaller ones into his mouth. "We can handle delivering a letter on our own."

“Mm,” he reached out and picked up a thick slice of rappig meat, “Maybe I should stay here for a little while.” He started to chew. It was tender, juicy, and full of flavor. His mouth watered as he began to ravenously eat- which was both startling and somewhat appalling to Meryl and Ion who had to sit there and watch.

“You… were certainly hungry…” Meryl said, suddenly feeling a bit unwell as she set her piece of bread down onto a plate.

“I was in such agonizing pain that I blacked out, broke through the seal, transformed for the first time in weeks, purged an impressive amount of miasma from my body, and then dealt with human politics. I think I’m allowed to eat how I want.” he said a bit pointedly as Meryl weakly laughed.

“No, no, you’re right. You have been through quite a lot, and you must have been starving… forgive me.” she bowed her head as Luke finished off the last piece of meat. “I’m glad you at least liked the rappig meat.”

“Meat is meat. I’m not picky, I take what I can get where I get it.”

“…Back in the throne room yesterday, you threatened to eat the nobles- have you ever actually…” she trailed off as Luke looked her in the eyes.

“Yes.” She blinked, before the colour drained out of her face. “What? I’m a predator, that’s what predators do.”

“…How many have you-“

“Rem, I don’t know. I’ve been alive for over seven thousand years, it’s not like I keep count.” Meryl looked deeply unsettled. “…Would it make you feel better if I said that I only ever do it if the humans actually deserved it?” That was a very horrible fate to befall on a person, after all.

“I’m sorry I even asked…” she sighed, shaking her head. Any appetite she had now completely gone. 

Ion cleared his throat, attempting to steer the conversation to something a little less disturbing. “Luke, are you going to stay here?” he asked.

“It might be for the best. As much as I want to fly, I’m just too exhausted… Besides, someone has to stay here and make sure our new Queen settles in nicely.” Meryl blinked.

“Wait, I’m not accompanying you all to the peace treaties?”

“…You were just appointed Queen yesterday and you haven’t been officially coronated. You need to stay here and secure your position of power.” Luke stared at her. “If you took off now- the nobles would revolt.”

“B-but the gateways, and the miasma- I’m supposed to help you!”

“And you will help by staying here and preparing your country for the descent. Everything here? It’s going to land down in Eldrant at some point unless we lower the lands ourselves. We need you, Peony, and Tear to work together to make this transition as peaceful as possible. You really do not want to get into a war with the elves, they would slaughter you.”

Anise started to stir, her cheek slipping off of her palm which caused her head to fall and hit the table with a hard thud. "Oooow!" she clutched her head and finally opened her eyes to look at everyone. "You guys are so loud!"

"You should have just gone to bed, Anise. We would have been alright here on our own." Ion assured her with a smile. Anise pouted, reaching out to grab a piece of fruit.

"Yeah but someone has to keep an eye on you!" She argued weakly, taking a good sized bite as she leaned back in her seat, "What time are we going to go to Grand Chokmah?"

"Probably not that late into the morning. It really just depends on what Jade thinks is best since I'm pretty sure that he's going to fly us. Taking a ship would take too long..." Ion thought aloud as he leaned forward a little. "We can't really afford to to take anything more than the minimal amount of time to do any of this."

"I've been getting to stay in castles and I can't even really enjoy them! When this is all over, I expect the royal treatment, Meryl!" Anise declared and pushed up from the table. "I'm going to wash before we need to go."

“Enjoy yourself,” Ion waved as Anise scampered off out of the room. “So, who will be accompanying me to the peace talks then?”

“Most likely Jade and Asch, though that depends on if Asch wants to go or not. They’ll fly you and Anise… I’d like for Tear to stay here and give Meryl some princess lessons, but I think it’d actually be wiser to have her reveal herself to the Emperor and brief him about the situation in Eldrant.” Luke crossed his arms. “The descent is fast approaching and I want him to be prepared for the magic to come.”

“What about Guy?” Meryl asked.

“I just feel better when he’s close around, alright?” Meryl shook her head.

“No, no. No judgement here on my part. I was just curious.” She said with a reassuring smile.

“Besides, Guy’s also a Count so, maybe he can give you some lessons in nobility.” Luke supplied. Wasn’t the same as being on the throne but, it was close enough to count, right? “I can fly a maximum of two people. If for some reason you needed to come with us when it came time to check the gateways, if Tear were here, I wouldn’t be able to fly all three of you and we’d have to walk.”

“Understandable. Perhaps when this is all over, Tear can give me some princess lessons.” Meryl giggled sweetly.

“That sounds like a marvelous plan, Luke.” Ion said with a smile. “And it will give you a few days to rest. Given how… dramatic of an entrance you made during Guy’s rescue, I’m sure you need it.”

“Rem, I barely remember what happened.” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “…Lack of sleep is catching up with me, and I’ve eaten so, I think I’m going to attempt to go back to bed.” Meryl and Ion both nodded.

“Alright, I’ll make sure that you’re not disturbed.” Meryl said as Luke stood up from the table.

 

Despite the efforts Luke had made in order to ensure that his human companion would remain asleep, Guy had awakened to find the other half of the bed empty. He pried himself up and out of the bed, wandering over to the washroom to take a bath. Luke's words from the previous night on how he was so dreadfully human still weighed heavy on his mind, yet at the same time, he knew it wasn't his choice to make... Luke was the creature that would live well beyond Guy's own lifetime, and if he decided that it wasn't worth it at any point, he'd accept it. Sure, he'd put up an argument, but he would never force him. He respected the dragon far too much to even humor the idea of demanding he stick through this if he changed his mind.

It was best not to dwell on those things and instead enjoy the time he had with him for as long as it would be. At the very least, he knew he greatly enjoyed just having this connection with Luke. Dressed in a loose white undershirt and a pair of leggings, he strode out of the bathroom with his towel in his hair only for Luke to open the door. "Morning, Luke... I'd ask how you slept but it's pretty obvious what that answer would be." He offered a bit of a laugh at his own poor joke before letting the towel sit on his head.

“Morning,” he replied a bit tiredly, carelessly kicking the door behind him shut. “Change of plans, you me and Meryl are staying here while the others go to Malkuth for the peace talks.” he muttered, wandering over towards Guy to wrap his arms around him. He smelled so nice and clean, and his hair was still wet- “You’re going to catch a cold.” Luke scolded, taking the cloth and toweling his hair off. 

“-I can dry it myself, Luke!” Guy laughed a little, grabbing Luke’s hands to get him to stop.

“Meryl will be looking to you for some lessons on nobility since Tear’s needed on the mission to Malkuth. And after everything that’s happened, we’ve earned a couple of rest days before going off to meet everyone else at the gates.”

"Oh, that's why we're staying. I don't mind helping her out but I don't know how good of a job I'll do. Counts aren't exactly the uppermost crust of nobility." Guy said as he remembered being side-eyed more than a few times about one thing or another by his fellow nobility. “Besides, I haven’t done anything with nobility since before the war broke out.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Luke said as he pulled his hands away from Guy’s and wandered back over to the bedside. “I’m going to attempt to get some real sleep… I feel much better than I did last night. And, um…” he trailed off, cheeks flushing ever so slightly, “Maybe we could… pick up where we were so rudely interrupted yesterday… at some point?” he shifted his glance around.

Guy had been in the process of putting his boots on when he abruptly stopped upon hearing that. He looked over his shoulder at Luke with a quirked brow. “You… want to continue?” Luke nodded. “Are you absolutely sure? I don’t want you to feel pressured or anythin-”

“I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t mean it, Guy!” Luke’s face was pretty red now. Guy paused for a couple moments.

“...Does this mean that you’re willing to take a chance with me despite my mortality?”

“I-... y-yes,” Luke nodded, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. A feeling of pride, joy, and relief swelled up within Guy’s chest. He pulled his boots on and then headed over to the bedside, leaning down to kiss Luke on the lips, a kiss that the redhead eagerly returned. Guy pulled back and reached out, gently messing Luke’s hair.

“Get some sleep. I’ll see you later,” he smiled happily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 SHUT UP!  
> 2 When it involves a guardian and a human, yes, it does.  
> 3 Did you forget that he's human? That he will grow old and die and you will not?  
> 4 He brings up a valid point.


	20. No Promises

Guy entered into the dining hall to find Meryl, Ion, Tear, and Jade sitting together around a rather decadent looking plate of food- glazed tarts, fresh tea, and small finger sandwiches. “That looks _really_ good,” Guy said as he wandered over to an empty chair to take a seat. It was a little odd given that everything was for a tea party but he wasn’t one to complain about a free meal.

“Oh, good morning.” Meryl said with a smile, greeting him. “I trust that Luke’s briefed you on the situation?”

“I have to admit that it’s a bold plan,” Jade sighed as he pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. “Revealing to the Emperor that Eldrant exists, revealing that elves exist… the gods certainly will not be pleased.”

“Luke said that the outerlands have to descend into Eldrant unless we want all of them to collapse. Surely the gods would applaud the effort to save so many lives?” Meryl asked as Jade shook his head.

“You have no idea just how poorly the gods think of humanity. They absolutely would not care if you were all wiped out.” he replied replied and Ion looked quite distressed.

“I… I know that what you’re saying is most likely true given what you are, but I refuse to believe that,” he said, shaking his head. “For so long we’ve been taught that the gods listen to our prayers and answer us in mysterious ways. I’ll continue to hold on to that faith.”

“Ion…” Meryl breathed softly, feeling a bit of admiration for him. Such strong convictions to one’s beliefs despite a naysayer that had credibility... “Yes, I refuse to believe it as well. Even if it is true, we’re going to prove to them that humanity deserves to be taken seriously!” She then glanced over at Tear, a look of determination on her face. “I hope that you and your people will guide us when we arrive in your world. We wish only for peace.” Tear nodded.

“It will be a challenge and will take a bit of... convincing to my people, many of the elders hold vicious hostilities towards the surface dwellers. But, I believe we can achieve a strong alliance and work together to make all our nations prosper.”

The way they talked about the future, it filled the whole room with a strong sense of hope. Jade shifted back in his chair and observed them all quietly. It was astonishing just what mortals would tell themselves to keep themselves going in the face of adversity. Who knows… maybe they would change the gods’ minds someday. It was highly unlikely given the gods’ rather stubborn, unchanging nature, but who knew? This group had defied impossible odds before, why wouldn’t they be able to do it again?

Asch stepped into the dining hall with messy hair and wrinkled clothing, looking half asleep still. His eyes were half shut, and there was this look on his face that made him seem even more annoyed than usual.

“…Good morning, Asch.” Meryl said, trying not to laugh at his disheveled appearance. Asch merely grunted in response. “Are you hungry?” He nodded. “I’ll go see if we can have some more meat prepared," she said as a nearby servant hurried out of the room off towards the kitchens. 

After a few moments, Asch took notice of Guy’s presence near the end of the table and glared at him. “You disgust me.” he hissed before taking a seat.

Guy sighed a little and looked to the older red dragon, "I understand that you want to protect Luke, but this isn't something you can just threaten away."

Asch didn’t deign a response, he merely started to ignore him entirely, which thoroughly put Guy off. Guy had always anticipated the possibility of siblings of someone he was in a relationship with to be either very welcoming or very against him, but Asch took the latter to an entirely different level…“What are we doing then?” Asch asked the rest of the group, rubbing at his eyes. “We were going to Tataroo Valley, right?”

“Actually, we’re headed to Grand Chokmah first” Jade supplied and Asch raised a brow.

“I thought you said we were going to Tataroo Valley right after this to check in on Sync and the gateway.”

“The peace treaty takes precedence” Ion said.

“The hell it does. Any more land collapsing would be disastrous,” Asch pointed out rather aggressively and Ion shrank back.

“Are you really in any condition to fly?” Jade asked suddenly, eyeing the redhead up and down a few times. “It’s a long trip and you haven’t transformed, or even attempted to since you were resurrected.” Asch’s eye twitched.

“I feel _fine_.” Asch balled his hands up into fists. “And if you’re not going to Tataroo Valley then I’ll go by myself-”

“No, you’ll stay here and keep your brother company if you’re refusing to go with us to Malkuth. You and Sync alone together is a _terrible_ idea and the two of you would likely try to kill each other.” Jade said sternly as he pushed his glasses back up.

“I keep hearing that name, that’s the guardian of Tataroo, right?” Ion asked and Jade nodded.

“Yes, Sync is… special,” Jade started and Asch laughed.

“He’s like me,” Asch said as he crossed his arms. “He’s made from Sylph. He’s also a pain in the ass _brat_ who is very hard to get along with.”

“Sounds like someone else we know,” Jade muttered and Asch shot him a glare for that. “But, Asch speaks the truth. Sync is quite antisocial, antagonistic, and never leaves his territory. Of course he’s also considerably younger so that’s to be expected.”

“I thought you considered Luke and Asch to be young and they’re over 7,000. How old is Sync?” Guy asked, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

“He’s 2,876, give or take a few decades. I’ve lost track.” Jade shrugged.

“And, just how old are you, exactly?” Meryl asked.

“I’m 35,998,” Jade said and the room fell dead silent as the humans and elf looked on in _awe_. “...Come now, honestly. This is quite unbecoming of all of you.”

“You’ve… lived on this world for almost 36,000 years…?” Meryl looked so stunned. So much history! So much change! Think of all the wonderful stories that he could tell! “Did you get to witness the separation of the worlds first hand?!”

“Settle down, your majesty,” Jade chuckled at her enthusiasm, “No, that was long before my time began. Though, Auldrant was a much different place back when I was a whelp. Ispania had just risen into power when I hatched.”

“Gods, you’re so old.” Asch rolled his eyes.

“How long ago did the worlds get separated?” Tear piped up and Jade fell silent for a moment.

“I actually don’t know. Though given that Asch is the one who’s part Lorelei, he should.” All eyes at the table fell to the redhead and he sneered.

“Just because I’m a piece of Lorelei doesn’t mean I know _everything_ Lorelei does.”

“But you _do_ know the answer,” Jade said and Asch’s face twisted into a frown.

“...It was over 200,000 years ago.” he muttered begrudgingly as he sank down a bit into his seat.

“Wow…” Tear gasped in awe. “Do you have any of Lorelei’s memories of that time?” Asch slapped his palms onto the table.

“Gnome give me strength- No! I don’t! And I would like for you all to shut up about my connection to Lorelei!” he shouted angrily. A clatter sounded off and they all turned, seeing the maid from before holding the tray of meat for the redhead, her hands and knees shaking a little.

“I-I… have your meal, sir,” she said weakly. Asch’s frown only deepened and he shook his head, standing up from the table.

“Forget it, I’m not hungry any more.” he spat angrily, storming out of the dining hall. 

Jade merely sighed and crossed his arms. “I warned you that godlings were sensitive when you bring up their connection to the gods,” he then turned to look at the maid. “Please set that down on the table.”

“Oh, yes, sir.” She did as instructed before she bowed and exited the room.

“Why _are_ they so sensitive about it?” Guy asked curiously. “Luke makes mention of Lorelei from time to time but we never really talked about it before.”

“It has to do with identity. They try to differentiate themselves from their god but they can’t. A puzzle piece might be it’s own unique self, but it’s still part of a much larger picture, and nothing on it’s own in the grand scheme of things. Also, they are treated differently for it.”

“How so?” Ion asked.

“It’s simple, the rest of us hate them.” The table grew uncomfortably quiet. “Just as we all hate dragons of different flights, we hate the godlings even more. Godlings cannot disobey the orders their god gives them. They have nothing but a sense of duty instilled in them when they are created. They are abominations that should not exist.”

“Hey!” Guy said angrily, standing up.

“Don’t be angry with me, I’m answering the question that was asked,” Jade replied in a cold tone.

“You can’t be serious… Jade, you’ve _helped_ Luke!” Meryl cried out.

“It was mutual cooperation to reach our end goal, nothing more. I hate Luke, I hate Asch, the both of them hate me. It’s how it works, it’s how it’s worked for eons.” the frown on Guy’s face didn’t disappear. “Really, Gailardia. Are you actually surprised by this? Why else would I have knowingly sent you off with your family sword to go kill the dragon back at Deo Pass?” Guy’s eyes widened. How could he not have pieced two and two together until now?!

“But you took them to the desert…” Meryl said softly, horrified.

“To strand them where they would be picked off by bandits or monsters.”

“So you _did_ abandon us!” Guy shouted. “What the fuck, Jade?!”

“You all fail to realize that I am not your friend nor have I ever been. The only reason that I am even coming along with this is because Undine engraved her orders into my brain when I was given gateway duty and I am… compelled to follow. I am less than thrilled I have to travel with those two ahvakaar1.”

“Do not call them that,” Meryl said sternly. “I don’t care what that means and I don’t care to know. Regardless of your feelings on the matter, Luke and Asch are their own people, and I will not allow you to sit here and blatantly insult them. Do not _ever_ say those things in my presence or in my castle again, do you understand me?”

“You’re quite bold to say that to me, Meryl.” Jade said, raising his brows.

“I mean it. Apologize for what you’ve said, or I will kick you out. We’ll find another way to reach Grand Chokmah and the other gateways.” Guy and Tear both shot Meryl an appreciative look for her bravery. Standing up to Jade was _terrifying_ knowing the power he wielded.

“Apologizing serves no purpose as it will not magically change my beliefs. It’s been this way for hundreds of thousands of years, it will continue to be this way long after you are all gone. This is between dragons, and you mortals have no place interfering.” Meryl grit her teeth. “However, if it will ensure further cooperation so that we can continue to reach our goal, I will say that I am sorry.”

“You might say it but you lack any and all sincerity,” Guy spat and Jade nodded. “You know that we can never trust you again after this, right?”

“It was unwise for any of you to trust me from the start.”

 

Luke awoke several hours later and, judging by the light in the room, it appeared to be around midday, perhaps a bit past. He sat up and stretched himself out, getting out of bed to wander up and down the hallways for a little while idly so he could think. Thankfully this mornings’ meal was large enough to last him so he wasn't hungry again. He didn’t particularly feel like being social and the dining hall might still have Meryl and Ion within. Whenever he came across a guard or a servant, they dropped down to their knees to bow at him, which at first was amusing until it started to grate on his nerves after a while. 

He finally got frustrated enough that he stopped his mindless wandering, instead heading off towards the castle’s exterior to get some fresh air. Surely by now the others had left for Malkuth… Luke took a moment to stop and closed his eyes, feeling the energy of everyone within the castle. Oh, it was _so_ much easier to do this while unbound. Jade, Ion, Tear, and Anise’s presence were missing from the palace. Meryl and Guy were in the throne room together and Asch was off by himself in the library- how typical of him. He knew Asch was thoroughly engrossed in a book, so Luke changed up his destination to the throne room. He was kind of curious to see what they were doing.

When he arrived, Luke found that Meryl was sitting on the throne practicing projecting her voice. Guy stood at the very back, trying to hear her. "You've gotta be clear, Meryl! Loud and clear! Enunciate your words so I don't hear you mumbling from back here!" Guy called to her. Meryl tried speaking again with the same result.

"You need to speak louder, I can barely hear you!" Luke yelled with a bit of a laugh. Meryl sputtered before her face turned red.

"S-silence! This audience hall is enormous!" She stood up, quite flustered.

"Luke's right! You're too quiet! And just imagine if you're trying to talk over a room full of bickering idiots! Nobody'll even realize you're talking!"

"I _swear_ you're both just doing this to-"

"Much better!" Guy called out.

"I'm yelling!"

"Enunciate!" Guy was laughing and Meryl groaned before she straightened and stood, hands clasped behind her back. 

"I swear on behalf of my kingdom that if you two keep tormenting me, I will have you both beheaded!"

"That's perfect!" he snickered. "Keep that up and you should be good. But if there's a lot of people, you'll have to be louder or have an advisor who's willing to demand their attention!"

“That’s it, I’m done.” Meryl said with a sigh, taking steps down from the throne to walk back over towards the two men. “My vocal cords can’t take much more of this.” she was rubbing her throat gingerly.

“Well, it wasn’t that bad for your first try?” Luke offered as he shrugged and she groaned.

“We’ve been at this for over an hour now! I’m so tired…” she sighed heavily.

"It's been an hour?" Guy repeated, a little surprised to hear this. He hadn't exactly been paying all that much attention to the time... "Sorry about that. Tea should help make sure your throat isn't raw or anything."

“You should have stopped after fifteen minutes. That’s a great way to lose your voice.” Luke said. “Why don’t you take a nap or read up on some Kimlascan history? I need to borrow Guy for a bit anyways.”

“Oh ho? Borrow him, eh? And just what do you need to borrow my royal tutor for?” she grinned as Luke stuck his tongue out at her.

“Oh ha, ha. Very funny. I need to ask him about a few things regarding Malkuth, that’s all.”

“Are you sure~?” she teased and Luke quirked a brow at that.

“…You realize that since Jade outed us, I don’t exactly need to steal him away for be sweet with him, right?” he asked but Meryl’s smirk didn’t abate. Annoyed, Luke leaned up to Guy and then licked his cheek, which was weird enough to have Meryl back off.

"Augh, Luke!" Guy grimaced, wiping at his cheek with his hand. "You didn't have to get that gross..."

“Alright, alright… You two go enjoy your weird alone time. I’ll be in the library if you need me.” she said, waving her hand as she left them alone.

"So, what exactly do you need me for?" Guy asked, settling his free hand on his own hip as he eyed Luke curiously.

“I’m sorry,” Luke said, using his forearm to rub at Guy’s cheek to wipe off the saliva, “I… don't actually need to ask you about anything,” he answered a little sheepishly as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I was just curious to see what you and her were doing now that everyone else is gone.”

"Oh, so you lied to the queen just to take me away from her? For shame, Luke. I never knew you were the jealous type." Guy teased. 

“Well, that and Meryl really did need a break. Her voice was starting to sound very hoarse-“ Luke looked over at a nearby servant that had been minding their own business, sweeping the floor. “You there,” he called out and the maid jumped from surprise, nearly dropping her broom.

“Y-Yes, your eminence?” she stammered.

“Please prepare a pot of hot tea with honey lemon for her majesty.”

“Right away, your eminence!” she bowed before quickly dashing off. Guy couldn’t help but to smile at Luke’s endearment towards Meryl. Considering how hostile he had been towards the beginning, it was nice to see how he had grown with her as well. He seemed to have developed quite the soft spot for her, and it was very charming.

“Glad you’re awake though." Guy gave Luke a smile, "This morning was… tense, and it’s been hard to focus on much else because of it.” And that was putting it mildly. Luke looked a little confused by this and Guy sighed heavily, retelling the events of earlier.

“...I am going to kill him.” Luke muttered darkly. “I mean it, I will beat his ass into the ground and tear out his throat with my teeth.”

“Luke, stop.” Guy sighed, placing his hands onto Luke’s shoulders, giving them a squeeze. “I know that you’re angry and rightfully so, but-”

“He _knowingly_ sent you off with that sword to use it against me! That is treason! How could you possibly let him get away with this?!”

“Because we still need him, Luke, whether we like it or not. We need his help, his knowledge, his expertise, and for travel.” None of that was any reassuring to Luke whose frown remained ever deep. “We’re keeping a close eye on him.”

“What the hell-? If he pulls something again, just what can any of you do to try and stop him? You’re humans!”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Luke.” Guy rolled his eyes. “And Tear’s not human, she has her magic. But you should have seen Meryl earlier, she completely stood up to Jade without fear. It was damn impressive.”

Luke exhaled sharply and looked down at the ground, tapping his foot impatiently. He really didn’t like this. Jade was a damn traitor to guardians, he had tried to kill not only Luke but also Guy. This was inexcusable! Luke couldn’t understand _why_ Guy and the others seemed to keen on keeping him around when at any moment Jade could try to stab them in the back again.

“Look, Luke, there’s nothing that we can really do about it now, anyways. Jade’s gone off with the others to get to Grand Chokmah. Regardless of what he’s done, he’s still intent on stopping the war and helping with the gateways.”

“...Fine,” Luke said between grit teeth, narrowing his gaze. “But the next time we see him I am making no promises.”

“That’s… I guess the best answer I could get from you about this.” Guy rubbed the back of his head. “How are you?” he asked, trying to push the conversation to a more manageable topic.

“Angry.” Luke spat, that frown still plastered to his face. Rem, if he hadn’t cut his hair short Guy would have sworn he was talking to Asch right now. “Very, very angry. I want to punch something.”

“Please don’t punch me,” Guy could remember how much of a mean left hook Luke had back from the military camp.

“I won’t," Luke huffed, resting his hands on his hips as he went into thought for a moment. “...I’m gonna fight my brother.”

“....What?” Guy blinked.

“Sparring match. It’s a great way to vent anger. Besides I’m finally unbound and he was resurrected so this would be a good test of skill and ability. He was in the library so that’s where I’m headed.”

“Please-! Please do not fight _in_ the library!” Guy pleaded and Luke rolled his eyes.

“I’m not stupid, Guy. Now come on, I’m sure you’re curious to see how two dragons fight.” Luke said as he walked off. Guy hesitated for a moment, but Luke was right, he was insanely curious… hopefully nothing would be set aflame...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Abominations


	21. Fight and Flight

“Are you really sure that you want to do this, Luke?” Asch asked with a hint of arrogance in his tone, watching his brother stretch himself out on the opposite side of the castle’s inner courtyard. Word had gotten around the castle rather quickly that the two redheads were planning a brawl, and as such, a few extra guards had been called to the scene, spread out amongst the perimeter to ensure that nothing would get too badly damaged. A couple of curious servants also stuck around to watch the upcoming fight. “You know that you’ve never been able to beat me in a sparring match ever, and this time is not going to be any different. This’ll only make you angrier.”

“Shut up let’s get started already,” Luke snorted, tossing Guy a glance from over his shoulder which told the blond to get out of the way. Guy made no qualms as he backed off to a bench over in the shade a fair distance away from the boys. He was both excited and terrified by this prospect… two dragons, two fully powered dragons, fighting each other... This was going to be an impressive spectacle, though, given how large of a creature they both are, this courtyard is kind of small for the both of them to be fighting, unless they were going to take it up into the air, perhaps? Were they even going to transform at all?

“Your anger always makes you sloppy and predictable!” Asch taunted with a slight smirk on his face. “It’s been 6,000 years since we’ve last sparred and you’re still doing the exact same thing as before: your left foot is forward which means you’re going to try and tackle me head on and your right hand’s open for use of flames.”

“You know despite it being 6,000 years since our last bout your tired threats aren’t doing much to sway my concentration.” Luke cracked his knuckles. “Now, are we going to stand around talking all afternoon or are we going to fight?”

“Impatient as ever,” Asch scoffed. “On the count of three. Gein, ziin, sed!1”

Luke slammed his right palm down into the ground, the cobblestone surrounding him melting down into a large pool of lava that quickly seeped out towards Asch. Asch blinked, taken aback by Luke’s sudden switch in strategy, but he forcibly snapped himself out of his stupor to dodge the incoming attack. He leapt out of the way with a roll though Luke was already on top of him. He charged in with a flaming punch that Asch easily deflected, the older redhead spinning around to kick Luke in the side of head. Luke stumbled backwards as it was Asch’s turn to charge him, whipping around with a right hook. The blow connected with Luke’s abdomen and with a concentrated burst of combustion, Luke was blown backwards halfway across the courtyard and smacked into a couple of support columns.

“-LUKE!” Guy stood up from his seat and stared wide eyed as the younger redhead picked himself back off the ground. This went so far beyond actual sparring! What the hell were they thinking?!

“Give it up, Yolus,” Asch called out as Luke wiped at his mouth to remove the blood that had accumulated. “Nidro bo wah vuldak. Hi nis graal zey.2”

“ _Watch me, Kii_.” Luke hissed, summoning a large ball of fire that he hurled towards his brother. Asch sidestepped the projectile and it crashed into the ground behind him, exploding into a mass of flames that engulfed the flowers and shrubs. There was a loud outcry from the various guards and servants that had come to watch, a few of them scrambling off to try and find something to put out the fire that was starting to spread.

The boys paid no attention though. Luke continued to launch ball after ball of flames while Asch easily dodged them all. Growing frustrated, Luke rushed in again, throwing a series of wild punches that Asch easily countered, landing a few to Luke’s torso. The younger redhead grunted and staggered backwards, a bit winded from a strike to his solar plexus, but Asch was already on him with an upward palm strike to his philtrum, effectively breaking his nose. “I warned you that you can’t beat me,” Asch laughed, standing tall over Luke who had dropped down to his knees to grab at his nose. “Just give it up now before you _actually_ get hurt-”

Luke kicked his leg out and hooked it around Asch’s ankle, sweeping him right off his feet. Asch crashed down onto the ground while Luke sprang up, his hand slamming back onto the ground next to Asch to melt it down into lava when-

“-What on Auldrant are you two doing?!” Meryl’s shrill voice echoed loudly through the courtyard and both boys stopped, turning to see her standing off by the entryway into the castle. There was a look of horror on her face as she stared out at her now ruined courtyard, the fires _still_ going in the background. “I haven’t even been in this castle for twenty four hours and already the two of you are destroyi- is that _lava_?!” Meryl gasped.

Luke sheepishly pulled his hand away from the ground and got off of his brother, the two of them getting up to their feet. “Sorry, Meryl,” Luke called out as he turned to face the flames and forced them to die down. Asch on the other hand tended to the lava, solidifying it, although the cooled lava stood out in stark contrast from the rest of the cobblestones that surrounded it.

“Do you two have any idea how hard it is to study when there’s servants screaming that the castle is catching fire!? What were you doing?!” she yelled, stepping down from the stairs to approach them.

“Sparring.” Asch snorted, crossing his arms.

“ _This_ is your idea of sparring?! And- my gods, Luke! What happened to your face?!” Luke blinked, bringing a hand up to his face to see blood on his fingertips. Meryl rushed over and grabbed his jaw, moving his face around to inspect the full amount of damage.

“Asch broke my nose,” Luke shrugged a little too casually for Meryl’s comfort. “It’s not the worst thing he’s done to me when we’ve sparred.”

“Shadow preserve me- This is not okay, both of you,” she said, looking between the two of them before a certain blond noble caught her eye and she glared at him. “And you! Why would you just sit there and allow them to beat each other senseless?!”

Guy nervously chuckled and held both his hands up, “I know, I know, but I do have a sense of self preservation…” Those fireballs they were throwing around? Frightening was putting it mildly... 

Meryl frowned and let go of Luke’s face, sighing heavily. “No more ‘sparring’ matches. If the two of you want to beat each other up then take it outside of the city where the destruction won’t be as much of a problem.” she said sternly. “In the meantime, Luke would you like me to tend to your nose?”

Luke stared at her for a moment before he shook his head, “Ah, no it’s alright. I can heal it,” he brought his hand up over his nose and there was a soft golden glow that dissipated after a couple of moments. When he removed his hand, all of the damage accumulated from the fight had disappeared. “See? Good as new.”

“Alright,” Meryl let out a hefty sigh, her shoulders sagging just a bit as relief flooded through her, “This has been more than enough excitement for one day. I think I need to go lay down.”

“Well you were up all night long,” Guy said as he approached. “You should definitely rest.”

“Truth be told I’m a little apprehensive about staying in Ingobert’s chambers… it just doesn’t feel right to me,” Meryl wrung her hands together a bit nervously.

“Then stay in a guest room or the princess’ chambers. This castle is not short on beds. And if any of the staff tries to give you grief for it, tell them off. You’re queen, you can do whatever you like.” Luke said, resting his hands on his hips. Meryl giggled a little and nodded, a small smile coming to her face. She really was lucky to have such a wonderful group of friends.

“Alright. Thank you. And please, try not to cause any more of a ruckus,” she said as she turned to leave, exiting the courtyard.

With the queen gone and the servants and guards returning to their posts, Luke, Asch, and Guy were left standing around a little awkwardly until Asch scoffed, crossing his arms. “I won that fight, by the way.”

“What?! No you didn’t! We were interrupted so that doesn’t count!”

“It does too, I would have still beaten you had the fight continued-”

“Liar! I was so about to-”

“Boys,” Guy cut in and both redheads glared at him. “Er- please, we just stopped this first fight. Let’s not get into a second one. Let’s just call it a draw for now and if you want a rematch _that_ badly, you can take it outside of the city. Fair?”

Asch stared at him for a moment with a condescending sneer on his face before he scoffed and turned around. “No, I won that one.” And he walked off, exiting the courtyard.

“Tch, ass.” Luke spat as he rolled his eyes, turning to look at Guy. “Sorry if I worried you. Our fighting can get a little intense sometimes.” Guy could only weakly laugh, feeling his elevated heart rate finally starting to settle down after such intense action. “You okay?”

“I should be asking you that question considering how many hard punches you took.”

“I’m fine, really-” Guy stepped in and wrapped his arms around him, and Luke relaxed a bit, welcoming the embrace. “I’m fine, Guy.” he laughed a little.

“I know, but I worry. And man, you can _take a punch_ like crazy!” Luke started to laugh at that comment.

“Well I do have all my strength back now that the binding is gone… I have everything back now-” an idea came to mind as he looked around the courtyard. “...Say, it’s a nice day out isn’t it?”

“Hm? Yeah it is. Why, you want to do something?”

“Want to go flying?” Guy’s eyes widened and then a huge, child-like grin came to his face. Luke laughed at his enthusiasm and nodded. “I’ll take that as a yes. Alright, go find some thick pants and some gloves. My hide’s a lot different than Jade’s and the last thing I want is to burn you.”

“...Burn?” Guy asked as his grip around Luke loosened a little.

“Fire dragon,” Luke pointed to himself. “My internal body temperature is a _lot_ higher than that of other creatures. As such, my scales will literally burn you if you’re not properly prepared, so please do try to find some gloves, alright?”

“Alright, alright. I’ll try to see what I can find,” Guy nodded. “Where should we do this?”

“Out front. The courtyard is a little narrow for comfortable take off, so when you’ve gathered everything you need, meet me out front of the castle.”

“Can do,” Guy said, leaning in to place a quick kiss on Luke’s cheek before he let go of him and scampered back off into the castle, a spring in his step from all the of the excitement.

Luke exited the castle and walked down the stairs, seeing a marvelous, tightly manicured garden that spanned out between the castle and a rather grand manor (which Luke had learned belonged to Ingobert’s sister and her husband). A few nobles had been strutting about, enjoying quite the fair weather that day, but at the sight of the approaching dragon that had threatened to take everything away from them the day prior, as well as shove an urchin onto the throne, they scattered quickly. All, save for one fair Lady Susanne who was perched on a bench that overlooked some of the colourful flowers in the garden. The older woman looked up and took notice of Luke’s approach, and she smiled, beckoning him over towards her.

Surprised by this reaction to him, Luke complied and wandered over, taking a seat on the bench next to her. “Good afternoon, Lady Susane,” Luke bowed his head to her.

“Good afternoon… ah, Luke, was it?” she asked and Luke nodded. “I apologize. With everything that happened yesterday, it was difficult keeping track of names.”

“No need to apologize. In fact, I should apologize for all of the ugliness that took place. That was… not exactly how I wanted to handle that situation. Didn’t help that I was in a really bad mood…” She giggled softly.

“My dear, it’s quite alright. I actually found it to be refreshing.” Luke looked at her confusedly. “You gave many of the other nobles a good scare, one that was desperately needed. We all like to sit up here and pretend that we’re better than the rest of the world when in reality we are in fact no different. It’s good to be reminded of our place, makes us remember that we’re human, too.”

“That’s… profound.” Luke was pretty surprised. 

Susanne smiled, and then reached out to place her hand gently on top of his. “I think you made the right choice. Meryl is one fine, brilliant young woman who clearly has a passion for this country. I was there while we were waiting for your arrival, she kept the nobles placated masterfully.”

“You don’t resent me for denying your claim to the throne?” he asked as she shook her head.

“No, it’s as you said, I am sickly and frail. I would not have the strength required to rule. I am honored to serve as her royal advisor- she will need the help.”

“You’re a very kind woman, Lady Susanne.”

“Please, just Susanne. You dragons are above us, after all.” she giggled once more. “You… do you take that form intentionally?” she asked.

“I’m not sure what you mean?”

“Your eyes and hair- you look like our nobility.”

“Ah, no, I am a red dragon and my eyes happen to be green. It’s just by coincidence.” Her face fell slightly. “…What’s wrong?”

“I actually had a child, many years ago. An astute, kind young soul, but he was very sickly, and unfortunately, he died. You remind me of him quite a bit,” she reached out and gently cupped his cheek, looking at his facial features. “So much so that, when I first saw you, I thought you were him for a brief moment. But that’s just a lonely old woman’s selfish wishes.” she withdrew her hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to burden you with my petty troubles.” 

Luke shook his head, placing a hand onto her shoulder. “It’s alright, thank you for sharing that with me.” he gave her a warm smile.

“You are too kind,” she brought a hand up to wipe a tear from her eye. “The others might fear you, but I know that you have a good heart.” Luke laughed. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be keeping you. I’m sure you have other things to attend to than to listen to an old woman tell tales.”

“I was going to take my companion for a flight over the city.” he grinned.

“Goodness, how exciting! If I weren’t so frail, I think I would have been selfish and asked for a ride myself.” Luke laughed harder at that.

“Well, if you’re ever feeling better, I wouldn’t object to that.” he said as he watched her eyes light up. Luke then took notice of Guy hurrying down the castle stairs over towards them. “-If you’ll excuse me.” he gave her a bow before standing and moving a little ways away. In a burst of flames Luke had transformed, stretching his wings out as he chirped happily, quite pleased to be himself. “Ah, it feel so _good_ to be myself again~!” Luke’s voice had gone back to a lower, augmented pitch that sounded so… eerie almost.

Susanne, who had remained seated on the bench, clapped excitedly as she watched.  
“You are most impressive!” She said with a smile, and Luke looked back over at her. “Your companion is quite lucky!”

“I certainly am,” Guy laughed as he approached, looking at Luke. “Kind of weird to have you standing over me like this and not have you threatening me.”

“Oh silence, you.” Luke huffed as he lowered himself down onto the ground, allowing Guy to climb up his side and onto his back.

“I hope you have fun on your adventure!” Susanne called out to Guy.

“How can I _not_?” Guy was grinning broadly as he settled down by the base of Luke’s neck, grabbing onto his spines tightly. “Ready, Luke!”

The red dragon extended his wings out, and with one swift beat downwards, they were airborne, climbing up higher into the air at a very rapid pace- _far_ quicker than Jade could ever hope to be. Guy tightened his grip and struggled to hold on at first, completely surprised by just how quick Luke was in comparison. They way his whole body moved during flight was completely different, too!

When high up above the city, Luke brought his wings in very close to his body and free fell until he was at the desired altitude for flight. Then, with a quick extension of his wings they were soaring rapidly overhead, the city already quite far behind them as they headed out towards the sea.

“Hold on tightly!” Luke commanded, and when he felt the boy’s grip firm up, he quickly rolled midair and then dove down straight to the surface of the water before evening out just at the last second. They skimmed along the ocean’s surface at such swift speeds, the wind blowing into their faces mixed with sea spray, cool and refreshing. A ship was fast approaching to their left, a ferry ship filled with passengers coming from the direction of Belkend. Many people gathered at the deck to shout and point at the dragon that was coming dangerously close. Luke turned, one of his wings dipping into the water which caused a spray to launch up into their faces. The little kids cheered loudly as the adults both cursed and exclaimed. Luke chortled amusedly, picking up altitude again to circle back towards the city.

Guy was finding it a bit difficult to continue holding his grip, his hands starting to cramp up after clutching onto Luke so tightly to keep from falling off. But, Luke had stopped with the rather dramatic movements for a bit, so it was giving his hands a chance to rest for a little while. He didn’t feel the need to comment on it, not yet anyways.

“Having fun?” Luke asked as he slowed his pace a bit, lazily flying in circles over the ocean.

“So much!” Guy laughed, feeling completely exhilarated. “You are so lucky, Luke. You get to fly, you get to use magic, you get to live for thousands of years…”

“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” Luke said, flapping his wings, “we might have all of those things but we’re in eternal servitude to the gods. Even in death we have to serve them.”

“Have you ever seen any of the gods? What are they like?” Guy asked curiously and Luke snorted.

“No, I haven’t and I don’t know. I’ve only ever spoken with Lorelei and that was through mana crystals, like back at the elven temple.” Ah, that was a little disappointing. “Besides, I have no interest in meeting any of them face to face.”

“Really?” Guy was quite surprised by that.

“Of course. I’m nothing but a puppet to them that does their bidding. Lorelei might have given me and Asch life, but that doesn’t mean I don’t hold resentment for being created to have my entire life dictated to me. Being a guardian is _painfully_ boring. You get one area and you’re confined to it for as long as your guardianship lasts. I’ve been stuck at Deo Pass for 5,000 years, Guy.”

“Rem, really?”

“Yeah. You get bored of _everything_ really fast…”

“Hm… that sort of explains why Jade left Mt. Roneal then,” Guy mused aloud. “I mean if he’s been stuck there for thousands of years-” Luke laughed.

“He’s only been a guardian for 200. The previous guardian of Sylvana was… removed, and Jade was delegated the spot. He’s quite resentful for it.”

“You can be removed from guardianship?” Guy asked and Luke nodded.

“It’s rare, but it does happen sometimes.” Luke replied rather curtly.

Guy fell silent for a few moments, mulling his thoughts over. This seemed like they were edging on some private or confidential territory so he decided to drop the subject, instead focusing back on the fact that they were flying. “So, Luke. What else can you do while flying?”

The red dragon laughed. “Oh now you’re just challenging me. You better hang on tightly,” he warned before he started to beat his wings faster, picking up altitude as his angle of ascension neared a perfect vertical line. For the tricks he had planned out he needed two things: height and speed. When bordering on altitudes that Jade nearly reached when they were flying with him, Luke began to free fall again, performing an impressive set of twists, flips, and rolls. A few of them he actually incorporated his pyromancy with.

Luke’s body temperature increased sharply as a result. The blond tried to adjust his position to cool himself off, but the friction it created by rubbing up against Luke’s scales started to cause his pants to burn, leaving a trail of smoke behind them. “-Luke! Stop!” Guy called out, but the rush of wind surrounding them was too loud and drowned out his voice completely. Luke did another arial roll, and things went from bad to worse. The material of Guy’s pants had caught and a fire roared to life. Guy yelped as he tried to keep his grip on Luke while trying to fan the flames down, but it was for naught as Luke abruptly turned and Guy’s already taxed grip had failed him.

He was launched off to the side, and with a scream, he started to fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 One, two, three!  
> 2 You never change. You can't beat me.


	22. Care to Dance?

Oh gods- this was it! This was really it!

He was going to die…!

Guy was plummeting down towards the ocean’s surface at an ever increasing rate, and he was going to hit it so hard it would kill him. Or, he could somehow survive that but end up drowning, or a shark would eat him- or hell, he didn’t know and he didn’t care beyond the fact that this was his untimely end at the tender age of twenty two. He hadn’t even properly lost his virginity yet! This was completely unfair!

“-Guy!” Luke’s voice called out from above, and the blond struggled to reorient himself to look upwards to see the red dragon swooping down after him. Oh thank the gods, Luke had been paying attention… he was saved! Luke came in and snatched him up with his claws, the initial grab pretty rough and uncomfortable, but Guy was not one to complain when it came to having his life saved. Again. Honestly what happened to keeping as far away from near death experiences? “Don’t worry, I got you.” Luke then used his pyromancy to snuff the flames out of Guy’s clothes. “You alright?”

He couldn’t answer. His heart was hammering so loudly in his chest and ears it practically drowned out all sound. Bile rose up in the back of his throat and he retched, vomit now staining the front of his clothes. “…I’ve been better,” he managed to mumble afterwards.

“Don’t worry, I’m taking you back to the city,” Luke said as they turned around and headed off, the dragon making sure to keep a slow, steady pace to ease Guy’s shot nerves.

Susanne had watched them fly off initially until they were so far out they could no longer be seen, and as such she had returned to her gaze to the gardens. But now the boys were coming right back, and it somewhat shocked her that the flight lasted such a short amount of time. When she saw Guy not on Luke’s back but instead being carried by his claws, the sickened expression on his face and the trail of smoke from behind him, she definitely knew something terrible had gone awry. She stood up and hurried over while Luke neared the ground.

Luke slowed himself as he came in for a landing, gently dropping the human onto the grass. In a burst of flame, Luke changed shape mid-air and dropped down to Guy where he worriedly checked him over, making sure he wasn’t burned. “You okay? Does anywhere hurt?” 

“P-perfectly fine…” Guy barely answered, so incredibly grateful to be back on solid ground. He nearly kissed the flowers.

“I’d ask how the flight went but… you look awful.” Susanne observed as she stepped over towards them. “What on Auldrant happened?”

“My body heat accidentally set his pants on fire and he fell off me.” Luke replied as Susanne stifled her laughter.

“His pants actually caught on fire?” She asked as Luke nodded. “…Did he happen to tell a lie before hand?” she giggled as Luke snorted.

“That’s funny.” 

“Yes, please laugh it up…” Guy said with an annoyed sigh, forcing himself to sit upright. "I... think I'm okay. Just..." He closed his eyes and took slow breaths, calming both his heart and stomach all at once. "Pretty sure I saw my life flash before my eyes there," he sighed, finally seeming to have himself together, but he was still painted quite pale. "We really need to figure out some way for that to _not_ happen again considering we have to travel tomorrow.... A rope would- no, that wouldn't work, it'd just burn..." he sighed, hand shaking a little as he carded it through his hair. "Your brother'd actually kill me if I suggested a saddle.”

“ _I’d_ kill you for suggesting a saddle!” Luke gently smacked him on the backside of his head, sounding quite offended. “A saddle- do you have any idea how humiliating that would be?!”

“Your embarrassment is suddenly worth more than my life?” Guy shot back and Luke frowned.

“You can hold on just fine when I’m flying normally. It was those tricks that elevated my body temperature-”

“I’d _really_ like to _not_ have that happen again, Luke!” Susanne chuckled softly, catching his attention. “What is it?”

“Oh, the two of you are just so lively, and you get along so well with one another.” She smiled warmly, extending her arm out to help Guy up to his feet before dusting him off.

“Even though we’re arguing?” Luke asked confusedly.

“It’s because you’re so close that you can argue with each other,” she smiled. “Besides, I don’t think a mighty dragon would willingly allow just anyone to ride them like that.” Luke’s cheeks flushed a little.

“A-ah well, it’s-“ Luke started to stutter a little when suddenly-

“Luke! Guy! There you two are!” Meryl’s voice could be heard from the castle’s steps as she stormed over towards them. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to sleep when the two of you are making such a big commotion?! All of the staff were clamoring about a dragon taking off in the grounds!” Luke grinned a little sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

“Well… it’s such a nice day, and I can finally fly again, so-“

“Guy!” Meryl gasped, rushing over to his side, “You look awful! What happened to you?”

“Heh… I uh, had a pretty fun near-death experience?” the blond shrugged haplessly and Meryl groaned. “Well, I mean it was fun up until that point… I think I should go clean myself up. This smell is starting to get to me…” he said, looking down at the stain on his tunic.

“Would you like some help, dear?” Susanne asked but Guy politely declined.

“Thanks for the offer, but I can handle getting myself taken care of. I’ll see you all later, if you’ll excuse me,” he politely bowed his head before he turned, making his way back towards the castle at a bit of a slower pace. His legs were feeling quite rubbery after the events of earlier.

Luke watched Guy leave for a few moments before looking back over at Meryl. “Well, I doubt we’ll be doing anything else to bother you so if you want to go back to be-“

“I’m awake now,” she huffed, crossing her arms, “I’ll find something else to do to keep myself occupied. I could probably stand to read some more about the politics here, though Rem, I don’t know if I can stand looking at another book so soon… I cannot tell you how much Ion had me go over last night.” Luke went into thought for a moment and a brilliant idea came to mind.

“I have the perfect lesson for you, then. Follow me- ah, good day, Lady Susanne,” Luke bowed his head to the woman before he urged Meryl to follow him into the castle. Susanne smiled and waved them off before returning to her seat on the bench, overlooking the flowers.

“My, it’s so lively today,” she sighed softly with a smile, taking in a breath of fresh, crisp air.

 

“-You… want me to dance?” Meryl blinked, the two of them standing in the ballroom as Luke put on a record.

“I want you to waltz.” Luke corrected her as the music began to play, filling the empty ballroom with a melody that had a steady tempo.

“Luke- I’ve never danced before…” she admitted as the redhead stepped over towards her, offering his arms out to her. “And why is dancing so important? Don’t I have other things I need to learn-”

“Nobility is very strange and there are a lot of things that I don’t understand about it. But, one thing I do know is that dancing at social events is extremely important. The nobles will be very hard on you and critical of everything you do. And since Gailardia has a phobia, it’s pretty unlikely he will be teaching you.” Luke took her left hand with his, and then realized his mistake- “Oh, sorry,” he swapped sides.

“You’re left handed?” she blinked. She had never even noticed before...

“Huh? Well, yes, though I’m ambidextrous.” he said, placing his left hand at her waist. When properly standing together, Luke waited for the beat of the music before leading her through a series of steps. “One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three- ow! Meryl… please watch your feet.” he grimaced after her heel had come down hard onto his foot.

“S-sorry! You’re just going so fast!” she sputtered, a little flustered.

“One… two… three,” Luke then said slowly, guiding her in a fluid motion across the dance floor, “There you go, you’re getting it.”

“One, two, three… one, two, three…” Meryl repeated to herself, picking up the pace a little bit.

“Ah, ah, ah- you’re leading. You don’t lead, I lead.” he said, steering control back towards him, much to her frustration.

“Why do you lead? Why can’t I lead?” she asked with a bit of a huff.

“For one, I know how to actually dance. Two, the male typically leads during dances.”

“Why do males get to lead, hm? That’s sexist.”

“That’s just how it is, I didn’t make the rules!” Luke balked, a bit exasperated before spinning Meryl out with one hand to then pull her back in.

“How did you learn how to dance, anyways?” She asked, being dipped down.

“I’ve been around for a long, long time, Meryl.” he replied, bringing her back up to continue their one-two-three pattern.

“Yes but, a dancing dragon,” she snickered as Luke frowned at her. “It’s just so… unexpected.”

“Yeah well, you learn a lot of things in seven thousand years.” he grinned, pulling her in for the big finale as the record ended.

 

When Guy had finished his bath and dressed, he had stepped outside into the gardens to bask in the sun and take in the fresh air for a little while. His heart had finally stopped pounding in his chest and his stomach no longer felt like it was trying to do somersaults, much to his relief. Eventually he moved back inside and sought after Luke, learning from a maid that he and Meryl were in the ballroom practicing dancing. Oh, this he had to see. Taking advantage of the castle’s balconies, he settled above the two and watched as they danced, a smile on his face. He just caught the tail end of it but it was enough to see.

"You're pretty good, Meryl!" he called down, a grin on his face and his arms folded over the top of the ledge. "Didn't know Luke would be such a good teacher for that.”

"-As I've said to Meryl, and to you back at Deo Pass, you learn a great many things when you're alive for thousands of years." Luke said with a bit of pride. "Besides, it's not like you would have been able to teach her this so I took it upon myself."

"Well, you're a remarkable dancer." Meryl clapped her hands together excitedly. "I'm just sorry I'm such a shoddy partner." she slowly sighed, shaking her head.

"You looked pretty good to me! A little more practice and you'll be the belle of a ball." Guy chuckled from his perch and Meryl smiled up at him for that.

"Don't be sorry,” Luke said, turning his attention back to Meryl, “everyone has to start somewhere.” 

An idea then came to Meryl and her eyes lit up. ”Guy! Do you know how to dance?" she called up to the blond and Luke blinked, confusedly.

“I… well, yeah, I was taught by a couple of other nobles back when I was younger but it’s not my strong suit. I mean I can do a waltz pretty easily but other dances are a bit harder.” Guy nervously chuckled.

" I want the two of you to dance together. I want to see how it's really done!" she said, looking quite excited.

"You... want us to dance together?" Luke asked as she nodded. "...I am so glad Jade and Anise are not here for this." he mumbled before looking up at Guy. "Get down here, we're doing a demonstration for Meryl!" he called out before heading over to the record player to reset it.

“We’re what?” Guy asked, slightly embarrassed as a tint of red came to his cheeks. Well… this wasn’t how he envisioned spending his afternoon but he didn’t exactly mind. Guy exited the balcony and hurried down the stairs, stepping out onto the ballroom floor. Meryl shuffled off to the side to give them some room. “So, do you want to lead or should I?” he asked as he offered his hands out to Luke, the redhead taking them.

“You can lead.” Luke nodded, the music starting to play. Guy counted the beats silently before he started to move, Luke following along, the two of them beginning their waltz while Meryl watched. Their steps were in near perfect with each other and the music, the spins masterful, the dips exciting to watch, and Meryl found herself absolutely transfixed on them, unable to look away.

The dance ended when Guy had lowered Luke into a rather deep dip, and the redhead looked up at the blond before placing a very playful and sweet kiss onto his lips. That must have surprised Guy since Luke was then accidentally dropped onto the ground, but rather than getting angry, Luke only laughed. 

Meryl sighed with a bit of forlorn in her voice. "You two really are meant for each other. I'm so jealous."

"Ah, don't be," Luke said as he pulled himself up to his feet, brushing his clothes off. "You'll find someone, and soon. You are at that age most royalty marry and produce heirs.” Her cheeks flushed a bit.

"You're very pretty, Meryl, and you've got a good heart.” Guy spoke up. “Trust me, it's not going to be hard for you to find someone to love you." Had Guy not been terrified due to his phobia, and had Luke not been in the picture, he might have been willing to be that person. Might. He had grown to care for her over the course of their travels, but he and Luke were still establishing and exploring their own relationship and were quite happy with one another.

"W-well," Meryl fidgeted, “You two may be taken now, but what about your brother, hm?" she cocked a brow and Luke snorted loudly.

"Yeah, good luck with that. Asch hates humans even more than I did."

"Well, Guy seemed to change your mind. Let's see if I can change his."

"...That is beyond ill-advised, Meryl.” Luke sighed.

"Too late, that is my new goal!" she said determinedly as Luke rubbed his temples.

"Good luck with that, but don't expect it to happen any time soon. He's pretty disgusted that I'm with Luke, so I can't imagine he'd change his mind without a hell of a lot of work." Guy sighed and Meryl outright cackled.

“Oh please, have you met me?" she asked as she beat a hand to her chest. "I am a Desert Lion and now a Queen! Tackling the impossible is in my blood!" she positively beamed. Luke shook his head slowly. "But, thank you for calling me pretty, Gailardia." she bat her lashes at him before sauntering over towards the door. "It's getting a bit late, why don't we all sit down to some dinner and maybe go over some more politics before stopping for the evening?" she asked.

"Yes, good. I want you to sleep tonight." Luke nodded. "Queen or no, you need to rest up and you've already pulled an all-nighter."

"I used to go days without sleep back in the desert." she waved her hand dismissively.

"Well Baticul isn't the desert. You'll need to be rested and sharp each day. Guy and I are leaving tomorrow for Tataroo Valley, I want to make sure you're okay for when we're gone." Meryl sighed sadly.

"I really wish that I could come with you two. I wanted to see this through to the end." she crossed her arms, glancing down towards the ground.

"You will, but for this step, you're needed here. Lady Susanne will be coming to help you fully settle in and will help you get officially started. We spoke earlier, she's a very kind woman." he smiled at her.

"Yes, she is. It's a shame she's married to such a wretched man though-"

“You need to put a filter on your mouth when you're in court." Luke warned. "I can eat them without consequence- I get a free pass. You, not so much." She looked a little distraught at the mention of him eating people again. "...Come on, let's just go have dinner." he said, heading towards the door.

When they made their way to the dining hall, the servants had already begun laying out a meal and one quickly straightened. “My Queen, we were about to come and get you. We just finished preparing dinner. ” The servant said and Guy smiled.

“Thank you very much. We were just about to ask for something to eat so this is perfect timing.” He moved to sit down in one of the seats. Fine tableware was set out in front of them, polished silver, practically sparkling plates and crystal glasses- but the real focal point was the spread that had been prepared. An entire roast rappig fresh off the spit, covered in glazes and sliced fruit. Baskets of sweet rolls, sautéed vegetables in cream butter and pepper, a few shanks of lamb, half a rack of horse ribs... there was quite a bit of meat on the table, much to Luke’s delight.

"So much meat...!" Luke gasped excitedly as his mouth watered.

"We received word that his eminence has a preference for it. Our chefs prepared only the best for you," A servant bowed.

"Yes, the dragon is pleased! Dismissed!" he said, not once taking his eyes off the glorious spread. The servants bowed and exited the room, leaving the group alone to eat in peace. Luke looked from one plate to the other.... which one should he start with?

"I've gone ahead and brought the books that I've been working on with me," Meryl said pulling one out that had several tabbed pages and annotations written in it. "Ion gave me so many pointers last night, I never did properly thank hi-" she cut herself off mid sentence to look at Luke who was attempting to shove an entire lamb shank into his mouth. "...And you were scolding me over manners earlier?" she asked incredulously as Luke then put the meat down onto his plate.

"I'm a dragon, manners don't apply to me." he stated in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Oh ho?” she quirked her brows. “You're at my dinner table, and I expect some manners from you." 

"...Are you lauding your status over me?" Luke asked and she nodded. "Me? The one that put you on the throne in the first place?" she nodded again. "...The _dragon_?”

"You would never hurt me, and you know it."

"....Touché." he picked up a fork and knife to cut his meat with.

"You guys act like siblings." Guy laughed as he began to eat as well, though unlike Luke, he actually used his utensils. "While Luke's stuffing his gullet, what did you want to discuss politics wise?" Guy asked. Meryl opened up her book to a specific page and set it down on the table next to him, and the two of them began to cover a variety of topics that made Luke's head spin.


	23. Mates

How the humans managed to keep track of so many tedious, annoying things was beyond Luke’s grasp of understanding. Politics was just one of those things that he was inclined to tune out whenever the subject came up. Unfortunately for him, with Meryl now on the throne, the subject was coming up quite often as of late… Oh, he was so looking forward to getting back to the task at hand tomorrow. They’d fly off to Tataroo valley, check on the gateway, speak with Sync, catch up with the rest of the group and see how things went over in Grand Chokmah, finally get going again. As much as he had needed to rest after breaking through the binding and purging the miasma, sitting around on his heels like this made him antsy. They had things to do, people to speak to; how Guy and Meryl could just sit there and drone on about tax reform for hours was incomprehensible to the red dragon.

When Luke had his fill, and enough of the mindless chatter of human affairs, he excused himself from the table and wandered back to his given guest room. He was figuring that it was about time for a proper bath, the last one he really got to have was way back in Keterburg, and while he didn't need to clean himself nearly as often as the humans did, he was starting to feel a little uncomfortable in his own skin.

With the water as hot as he could physically make it, he stepped in and lowered himself into the tub. The boiling water felt amazing, and any lingering soreness from the previous day just melted away into the heat. He sighed contentedly, resting his head back. While it wasn't lava, this was certainly the next best thing... 

Lost in the pleasure that was a proper hot bath, Luke’s mind wandered off to the rest of their group who were no longer present in the castle. Surely they've landed in Grand Chokmah by now since Jade was the one flying them... He wondered how the Emperor was going to take the news of elves, of Eldrant... Perhaps Jade even went so far as to reveal his real identity- Luke found himself a bit mad that he wasn't there to be the one to do it, if that was the case. He was still so angry at him for what he said... but he needed to push that anger away since they needed to work together… It was like Guy had said: they needed him whether they liked it or not.

Satisfied with his cleanliness after twenty minutes of soaking, Luke drained the tub and pulled himself out, grabbing a towel to dry off. He stepped out into the room, fully nude, with the towel wrapped around his hair when he saw that Guy had come back at some point and was relaxing on the bed. Luke blinked, not sure if he really needed to lower the towel or not... "You're very quiet," he observed. "I didn't hear you come back at all.”

“I wasn’t trying to be,” Guy muttered as he sat up and found himself staring at Luke in all his glory. Wow… he was not expecting to see _that_ much of him. Either Luke lacked any sense of modesty or this was deliberate... He awkwardly cleared his throat and averted his gaze, “Did you enjoy your bath?”

"Well, I managed to get the water to boil, so it was definitely much more enjoyable than the one in Keterburg," he said, finishing toweling off his hair before tossing the towel onto the floor. He watched Guy for a moment and took notice of the faint flushing of his cheeks- Guy also sounded a bit forced in tone when he spoke... perhaps his nudity was making him uncomfortable? Not like he wasn't nude when he was in his dragon form but, whatever. Humans were strange creatures that were hard to understand sometimes. Luke turned and wandered over to the clothes chest where he started to fish out some clean garments. “How did the politics talks go after I left?" he asked, pulling a loose tunic up and over his head.

“Just as about as exciting as you’d think,” Guy said, watching Luke’s back muscles move as he pulled on his clothing. Wow… no- stop. Luke wasn’t a piece of meat for him to ogle. He cleared his throat again and tried to bring his mind back to the conversation at hand. “I think you and I were able to cover enough to get her on the right track so we can just hope Lady Susanne can handle the rest of it for us.” He was quiet for a few moments, his mind going back to the events of earlier. "Think we could find some flame retardant cloth? Or something that won’t burn while we’re flying? Because I’d _really_ like to avoid falling off you again."

“Metal suffices,” Luke shrugged, turning around to see Guy’s eyes had been practically glued to his torso-… Oh, so Guy did like what he saw? Looking down at the pants in his hand, Luke tossed those aside to the floor as he walked over to the bedside and took a seat on the edge. “It has a higher heat resistance than most fabrics and my hide won’t erode it. Besides,” he pressed his hand up against Guy’s chest only to push him down onto his back, “metal’s kind of rough,” he bit his lower lip as he crawled on top of Guy. “And I tend to like things rough.” A devious smirk came to his features.

“Oh, do you?” Guy laughed a little, looking up at the redhead with a slight grin and a soft flush to his cheeks. Luke's touch was pensive but with purpose, and Guy reached up to tuck some of that still damp hair behind the dragon's ear. “Actually, I think your fight with Asch can vouch for that.” He snickered a little bit. “That was pretty intense.”

That urge to mate again was there, nagging in the back of Luke’s mind incessantly. He had no idea why it was so powerful and constant, but it was nearly impossible to ignore- instincts were hard ingrained into a dragon’s being, after all. Luke had tried to fight it off but his instincts were winning- he wanted to touch every bit of the man below him, hear new sounds, experience new sensations… His cheeks flushed a bit as he snaked his hands just below the hem of Guy’s shirt, resting his palms against his stomach. The warmth was so lovely, better than any boiling bath he could draw for himself, so he gently walked them up to his chest where he could feel Guy’s heart beating. So quick, so fleeting-

“…I-I really… want to mate with you…” Luke said, cheeks stained a dark red.

Guy chuckled softly at the somewhat awkward sounding request. "You did say we should pick up where we left off..." he mused quietly, hand lowering to frame Luke's cheek before he sought to tug him down a little bit closer so that he could kiss him softly. "And Jade's not around to bother us... But you should probably lock the door first anyway, Luke." Better safe than sorry.

Luke nodded and pulled himself off of Guy, getting up to hurry over to their door. With the deadbolt turned and the two of them now in total seclusion with only each other to worry about, Luke pulled that fresh tunic off of himself so that he was now, once more, fully nude. Guy followed suit, yanking his own top off which he haphazardly tossed aside without care. 

Returning to his previous spot overtop the blond, Luke hooked his fingers beneath Guy’s waistband and started to tug. The trousers slipped down Guy’s hips and left him in his undergarments, which caused Luke to frown a little. That was not what he wanted to see. Without giving much thought, he forced his hand beneath the thinner material and made a rather aggressive grab for Guy. The blond lurched forwards and yelped, his hands pulling at Luke’s arm to get him to let go.

“-OW! Luke, what the hell?!” Guy nearly yelled and Luke released him, sitting back with a confused expression on his face.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“That _hurt_! That’s what’s wrong! You can’t just grab a man like that, it’s painful.” he winced, scooting back a little bit from Luke. The redhead stared at him in confusion, his brow quirked.

“What am I supposed to do, then?” Luke asked, back to suddenly feeling incredibly self conscious about his lack of knowledge and experience. “In some of the tomes I’ve read over the years, it said that-”

“Wait- tomes?” Guy blinked. “You’ve never… you’ve never had sex before?”

“I already told you that back in Yulia city,” Luke huffed, his cheeks flushing quite darkly. “No, I _haven’t_ had a mate before. But I’ve read a fair amount on the subject over the years…” he fidgeted a little uncomfortably. 

“It’s kind of hard to believe that you’ve been around for seven thousand years and you’ve never once had sex.” Guy weakly laughed but the look Luke shot him shut him up quick. “Look… I’m really not sure how sex between dragons is really supposed to work, but I am thoroughly human, and since you’re in human form I’m sort of expecting you to function like a human as well.” Luke averted his gaze and rubbed the back of his head slowly. “-Look… with humans, you have to be gentle. You can grab, but keep your touch light, don’t yank.” Luke still refused to look at him. “...We can stop and try again some other ti-”

“No.” Luke shook his head. “No, I… I want to try and get it right.”

Guy slipped his pants and undergarment off all the way, tossing them aside so that he was fully nude as well, giving them equal ground to explore each other. Luke finally looked back to the blond and his face started to rival the color of his hair. There was still quite a bit of light in the room so the both of them were fully able to see _everything_ between them… “Do you want me to star-”

“I’ve got it!” Luke replied a little too fast. “I-... I got it.” Tentatively, he reached his hand out back towards Guy’s crotch and made sure to gently grasp at the man. The skin felt so soft and delicate beneath his fingers... Guy took in a stuttered breath and his hips twitched at the contact, much to Luke’s surprise. Such a different response this time, one that was kind of… fun to watch. Luke leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Guy’s lips, sweet and tender that soon turned a bit more aggressive on Guy’s part as he nipped at Luke’s lower lip. 

Guy pushed up just a little so that he could better return the kiss while he slowly rolled his hips against Luke's palm. Luke had barely touched him and already this was feeling so good… this was what it felt like to finally lose one’s virginity? He’d never once anticipated that he’d be losing it to another male- let alone a dragon of all things… His hands began to wander down Luke’s back along his spine before he decided to take advantage of the freedom he had. He made a grab for his ass, both hands giving the flesh a playful squeeze. "You're gorgeous," he uttered against his mouth without completely breaking the kiss.

"I know," Luke hissed as his hips twitched. He wasn't quite sure just what to make of Guy groping his backside but, it wasn't as if it felt bad or anything. Just... different. Humans had somewhat bizarre tendencies when it came to mating. He gently squeezed Guy's now growing arousal and began to work his hand in small, slow circles for a few moments, listening to pleasant, quiet moans escaping from Guy’s lips. Lightly, he scraped his nails along the underside of the shaft until he reached the tip, feeling the heat grow more intense with each passing moment.

Pleased, Luke broke the kiss between them and backed off a little to check their progress. Half-erect. They could do better. Thinking back to some of the books and scrolls that covered the subject of coitus, Luke recalled one act in particular that often overlapped. Leaning down, Luke cupped the man’s testicles with one hand and began to fondle them gently, much to Guy’s surprise.

“Luke, what are you-” he was cut off with an involuntary gasp when he felt what had to be Luke’s tongue running along the length of his arousal. And it was oh so painfully slow, too… What the hell kind of books had Luke been reading over the years anyways? This was… surprising, given that Luke had clearly stated several times that mating without the purpose for producing offspring was viewed as repulsive but, fuck- he wasn’t one to complain. He reached down and gently pushed Luke’s bangs back from his face, giving him quite the view. Luke looked so… incredibly amazing like this…

Luke tilted his head a bit upwards into the palm of Guy’s hand before he then lowered and took most of the shaft into his mouth. He sucked a little, moving his tongue back and forth along the underside. Ah, there it was: sweet, breathy moans. It filled the air and it was like music to his ears. Feeling a bit encouraged, Luke began to bob his head, simulating stroking motions with his mouth. Upon occasion, he carefully grazed his teeth along the sensitive flesh just for a change of pace. He could feel the knight growing harder in his mouth, and in response, his own body was becoming highly aroused as well. Releasing one of his hands from Guy, he dropped it down and clumsily started to stroke at himself if only to bring sweet relief to the tingling sensations that shot throughout his body.

As Luke began to fall into a steady rhythm, Guy couldn't keep himself composed any longer. It took a hell of a lot of willpower to keep his hips planted on the bed as to not just jam himself down Luke's throat. He instead let quiet moans escape into the air, with each being a little more passionate than the last. When teeth grazed his length, Guy all but choked as his body shivered at the sensation and the fingers in the redhead's hair tightened exponentially. "That's- Keep going just like-...!" he leaned his head back and whined. Instead of continuing, Luke instead spat him out of his mouth and brought a hand up to twist Guy’s wrist, ending that vice grip on his hair. “-OW! Luke?!”

“ _That_ hurt!” Luke countered angrily, gingerly rubbing his scalp while he glared at the man.

“Alright, alright. Sorry, sorry…” Guy sighed, pulling his knees in a little bit. “You uh, you did a good job, though… I _really_ don’t want to stop, Luke…”

“We’re not,” the redhead sighed, pulling himself back in towards Guy. He pushed him back down onto the bed so he was over him, his palms keeping him pinned down. “I’m… just-… splay your legs already.”

Oh- wow. Guy found himself slightly startled by Luke’s directness and suddenly found himself entirely too aware of what was happening right then and there. He had always hoped to lose his virginity but, considering his phobia of women he had never held his breath. But now… he stared up at Luke, seeing the impatient look on his face while he was waiting for him to respond to his command, and felt his stomach drop a little. This… was so not how he imagined his first time to be like, and to be honest, he was a little scared. Luke making his wants clear was a bit reassuring though, and knowing Luke, he wouldn’t do anything that would end up hurting him. Intentionally, anyways.

“Y-yeah, okay,” Guy nodded, doing just what was asked of him.

With Guy's legs now splayed and everything was presented to him, it was all now just a matter of penetration and... Luke stopped when he came to realize that this was, in fact, very different than mating with females- not that he had any personal experience but, it wasn’t as if he ever really imagined himself being with another male. He knew that one of them would have to take it up the backside when they engaged with this, what he didn't account for was the fact that there was no natural lubrication to help things along... Luke had said he liked things rough but, not that rough... this was going to be hell for Guy unless he could figure out a way to ease the process. Shoving his own personal wants and desires aside, because dammit all he felt like he was about to go over the edge, he brought his fingers up to his mouth and licked them- much to Guy’s confusion. 

It wasn’t until those fingers were then felt prodding around down below that Guy had realized just what exactly Luke was doing. It felt… really odd, if he was to be totally honest, and it didn’t help that the anxiety from doing something so new like this was making him tense up all around. Luke pressed his digit into him without any warning and that spurred him only to tense further, making this extremely uncomfortable and difficult.

“-Guy, relax.” Luke said as the blond squeezed his eyes shut.

“Trust me, I am trying… Rem, that feels so weird…”

“Does it hurt?” Guy shook his head. “Alright, good-” Luke had been cut off by Guy reaching out to cup his cheeks and pull him in for an impassioned kiss. That was entirely unexpected but Luke didn’t shy away, eagerly returning the kiss and moaning into Guy’s mouth. His arousal was now aching at the lack of stimulation and he internally cursed at humans’ inability to just mate and be done with it. The need to work up to the main event was so tedious... He hastily slipped another finger into the blond and started to work at the surrounding muscles, coaxing Guy to relax from the inside so they could get to it already. He was getting _very_ impatient.

When he felt like he was about to go over the edge, Luke quickly withdrew his fingers from Guy and started to position himself. This was going to be rough… hopefully Guy wouldn’t be in too much pain. ”…Bear with it, Guy.” he breathed softly, slowly starting to push his hips forward.

Guy choked on a grunt and did his best not to tense further, but the stretch definitely hurt, far more than those fingers had. He reached up to wrap his arms around Luke’s shoulders, needing to grasp at something. "I-I'm okay... It's... just stay slow..." If Luke could just keep that easy pace then sooner or later he would be able to completely adjust.

Luke silently nodded and did just that, continuing that agonizingly slow push forwards until he was fully encompassed. From there, it was sheer willpower that kept him from moving at all until he got the go ahead from Guy- but oh… _fuck_ it felt so good… the heat, the softness, the closeness, the intimacy… He spread his knees just a bit before leaning forward, cupping the blond’s face with his hands to brush away a few stray tears that had formed from the pain. He tenderly placed soft kisses onto his cheeks, and bit by bit he could feel Guy starting to relax at his touches. 

Very, very slowly he moved his hips in a circular motion, making his first thrust. There was still quite a bit of resistance, and the way Guy seemed to grunt in pain was discouraging… but Guy insisted that he continue, saying that the pain was manageable and he’d get past it. In an attempt to make things more pleasurable on Guy’s side of things, Luke leaned in for another deeply passionate kiss, using a free hand to slowly work Guy’s arousal as he once again moved his hips into a slow thrust.

Guy was on his personal mantra that this would get better, he'd be alright, and thankfully the redhead tried to coax that into being by focusing on Guy’s pleasure in all of this. As the moments passed and Guy forced himself to focus on the good, he found that the pain was ebbing slowly and the pull on his body was actually far more appealing than he'd thought. Sure that this could only get better now that it had begun to do so, he wrapped a leg partially around Luke to egg him on, breaking the kiss in the process. "I'm okay... Not too rough yet, though..." So long as Luke didn't get vigorous as of yet, this could work in their favor.

And did it. 

Luke began to roll his hips in a very steady rhythm, nice and slow, not too deep or shallow, a good basic set of movements to get things going. Steadily, he began to increase the pace, pushing himself a little deeper with each thrust. Sweat began to bead along his body as the temperature in the room increased. His cheeks were darkly flushed- seeing Guy making such indecent faces, emitting such sinfully sweet sounds- he wanted more.

Luke leaned himself down onto his forearms, on either side of Guy’s shoulders, and then rested his head into the crook of the knight’s neck. He placed soft kisses into the tender flesh, nipping and biting playfully as he sucked every now and then, leaving loving bruises that stakes his claim- hopefully ones that could be hidden by a collar of a shirt so Meryl and the others didn’t take to teasing them.

As Guy became more accustomed to Luke's movements, the pleasure began to bubble up and come to a full roll as he arched a bit off the bed, moaning much like he had before when Luke had been tonguing his length. Much, much better. “Nn… D-don’t stop…” he gasped, tightening his grip around Luke’s torso.

“Wasn’t planning on it,” he hissed into his ear, playfully nipping at the lobe. The redhead’s pace increased a bit, much to Guy’s delight as he tried to move his own hips to match the new pace.

Just as Guy had anticipated, as the two of them got further along in their actions, he found himself all but keening at Luke's movements. The slide of his cock within him was a strange sensation and yet was something he wanted more of with a fervor. Sometimes his mouth fell open with low moans while other times it was silent cries that were only noticed by watching Guy's face. Oh, this was an experience far better than he could have imagined and he was glad beyond words he hadn't thought to give in to stopping. He tugged Luke in as close as he could when the dragon bowed his head to kiss at his neck and shoulder, nails digging somewhat into the redhead's shoulders as he used the leverage to arch just a bit closer.

Ah... _that_ was more like it! 

Those eager moans, the nails digging into his flesh, the heat, the smells, the sensations were completely and utterly intoxicating... so sinfully good- so much better than the stories of mating Luke had been told when he was younger, and far better than any of the old romance novels he had read could possibly hope to describe. There was only so much one could convey through words- it was missing this entire side of things, the closeness, the want and need to please both yourself and your partner... to be so close you practically become one-

"Ah-!" Guy gasped loudly as a particular thrust from Luke sent a shockwave up his spine throughout his body. "There- Again! Luke..." he begged for more, wanting to feel that spark again. Whatever had caused it, he needed more of it and the length that was laid upon his belly dripping precum was testament to it.

Luke attempted to angle himself to hit that spot once more but was finding it a little difficult to locate. "G-Guy... angle your hips again," he instructed. When he did, Luke's length just barely grazed it and from the way Guy tightened all around him, he took it that that was where he needed to hit.

Pushing deeper, and slowing his pace, Luke bucked hips in a very dramatic fashion, rubbing up against that spot as much as he possibly could. Guy's muscles were starting to constrict him rather tightly, he wasn't sure how much longer he was going to last at this rate- a surging heat coiled up tightly in his lower abdomen, pressure beginning to steadily build, threatening to spring at any given moment. His hips twitched, and he was starting to move a little erratically, growing desperate for release.

Guy was completely at the redhead's whims as he desperately clung to him and moaned a litany of sounds that he'd never thought possible from his own voice. His length dripped onto his lower abdomen and he was struggling to hold back release. The period of pain had ebbed away his arousal but now that Luke was practically tormenting him with one thrust after another, Guy found himself completely on edge once again. "Luke, I- I can barely..." He tried to explain how close he was to coming but he couldn't even get the words out properly. He mouthed a somewhat sloppy kiss to Luke's temple before his body tightened and his length spasmed, spilling it's mess on his stomach and partially on Luke's.

Luke gasped a bit loudly, riding through Guy's release from the other side. The man's muscles had spasmed alongside his erection and it took every ounce of willpower to keep himself from spilling into him. No, no he wanted a few more minutes of this. Just a little longer, he didn't want this to be over just yet. Luke continued his thrusts, restraining himself for as long as he possibly could, feeling the pressure in his lower abdomen building up to near unbearable levels. His face dark as his hair, and sweat rolled down his back while his voice strained in gasps and groans.

And that coil finally sprung. Luke's hips bucked wildly and erratically, losing any and all pattern of rhythm as he practically slammed into him just a few more times. With one last thrust, Luke pushed in as deeply as he possibly could, arching his back as he buried his face into the pillow to muffle his loud, draining moan. Everything spilled out of him in hot, throbbing pulses that left him exhausted, breath ragged, and unable to continue on. He collapsed on top of Guy, not even bothering to pull out because he was still riding that natural high of such intense sensations.

Guy welcomed him into his arms and sighed contently in the moment. Nothing was said for a few minutes as they caught their breath and just came down from that high they'd both just savored. "So," he started after a moment, speaking quietly in the silence of their afterglow, "I take it that was better than just mating to reproduce?" he asked with a gentle laugh as his hand came up to card through Luke's damp hair, lightly scratching his scalp.

Luke had closed his eyes, failing to register anything other than his own body's state of being. His heart was beating rapidly, and he was having a hell of a time catching his breath. But his body... despite feeling heavy, internally he felt so light, and his thoughts were all muddled together and fuzzy... It was such a pleasant state of being, so nice.... And then he started to come down, feeling not only his body but Guy's as well. The way his chest rose up and down rapidly, he could feel his heart beating through his chest, feel the stickiness of his release all over his abdomen...

Glazed green eyes looked up as he barely registered the question the blond had asked. "...I wouldn't know, I already told you you're my first," he mumbled, cheeks still quite flushed as he then rested his head down onto Guy's shoulder.

Guy turned his head to lay a few soft kisses upon Luke's cheek. He smiled and continued to run his fingers through his hair in an idle gesture now, just wanting to keep this gentle closeness. He laid another kiss to his cheek as his fingers slowly roamed up and down along his back mindlessly. Guy loved to just feel the warmth of skin under his touch, possibly because of the fact that he was so deprived of it from his aversion to women. Men weren’t usually as touchy, even in simple conversation. Luke here pressed against him was a wonderful reminder that he could have this intimacy, he could have this love and depth. Again he laughed, light and airy. “I’m going to be sore tomorrow, I know that already."

Luke found himself snorting. "My hide isn't exactly the kindest thing to sit on, either. We'll find someway to cushion the ride for you." he said, extracting himself from Guy's embrace to finally pull out- now feeling a little sore himself. He looked down and saw a bit of his seed spill out onto the sheets, and an overwhelming sense of pride filled the redhead as he had staked his claim and ownership over the human. He then sat back, letting out a sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair. Semen was smeared against both their abdomens, they were soaked with sweat and the sheets needed to be changed. "...Didn't I just take a bath?" Luke asked rhetorically, examining his state. Though he couldn't bear the thought of breaking away from this perfect moment, so he scooted back closer to the blond. "Guy would you..." he paused, glancing away from him, "...If I brought out my horns, would you touch them for me like you did the last time? It's... a very intimate thing, it's not quite like foreplay for humans but to dragons it's really important..." he bit his lower lip.

"Yeah, of course, Luke. Now come on, it's cold." Rather childishly, Guy held out his arms and wiggled his fingers to try and coax the dragon back to him.

Luke stared at him for a moment before he started to laugh, a smile on his face unlike any before. 

They could definitely make this work.


	24. Tataroo

Luke closed his eyes and hummed pleasantly, taking a few moments to gather his concentration before he physically manifested his horns. He was about to scoot closer towards Guy’s beckoning arms when an idea struck him. “Would you be willing to touch my wings, too?”

“You don’t have to ask me, just get back over here already.” Guy continued to wriggle his fingers, beckoning the dragon back to him. Luke chuckled, leaning forward just a bit to bring out his wings which spread out widely with a stretch. He flapped them a couple times before folding them up against his back, a broad smile on his face. That entire time he had been bound he hadn’t been able to even feel his wings, let alone manifest them like this. It felt so good to be whole again, to connect with everything that was his being.

“Mm, much better,” he then finally scooted back into Guy’s embrace, being very careful with his positioning to make sure his horns didn’t end up sticking Guy anywhere. The embrace he ended up wrapped in was so warm and comforting, he just wanted to fall asleep then and there.

“I’ve never seen you quite like this before,” Guy commented, looking down at the redhead in his arms. “It’s magnificent- especially your wings.”

“I’m very proud of all of my features and attributes,” Luke said smugly before he practically melted into Guy the moment he felt fingers gently caressing his horns. “Ah, that’s so nice…”

“What does it feel like, exactly?” Guy asked curiously, dropping his hands down to pay some attention to the wings he couldn’t help but to marvel at. He strummed his fingers along the webbing, feeling the texture of the leathery red wing which trembled a little bit under his touch. “I take it you like that?”

“S-Stupid…” Luke mumbled and Guy snorted, bringing his hand over to where the wing connected to his shoulder blades.

“I can get why you missed these so much when you were bound, they’re amazing-“ Luke’s entire body was trembling at the new touch. “-I… are you alright?”

“Fine…” Luke panted a little as he tried to pull himself together. “No one’s ever touched me like this before and it just feels so _good_.”

“You’re not gearing up for a round two, are you?” Luke shook his head. “Okay, good. I don’t know if I’d be able to handle that.”

“Again, it’s not that kind of touch, but it is a nice one,” he looked up at the blond and smiled warmly.

“I think I can safely say that this time is much more enjoyable for both parties than Yulia city.” Luke nodded. “Man, feels like forever since we were in Yulia city.”

“A lot has happened since we were last there…” Luke said softly, pressing a kiss into Guy’s shoulder. “We traveled to the outerlands, went to Grand Chokmah and met with the Emperor, took the long route to Chesedonia, got arrested, broke out, broke the binding, and now Meryl’s queen. Makes you wonder what the next week has in store for us.” he snickered a little. “Traveling to all the gateways, checking in with the other guardians, figuring out how to lower the outerlands… That’s going to be tricky. If we’re going to do that safely our best bet is to have Asch and I split up to tackle the polar gates simultaneously.” he mumbled.

“Polar gates?” Guy quirked his brow.

“…Oh, I hope the gods will forgive us,” Luke said a little suddenly, much to Guy’s confusion. “I’m not sure what humanity did to earn their ire so, but we’re about to break every possible law and taboo by doing this.” he laughed a bit bitterly. “I guess that means that none of us will get an afterlife.”

“I-… alright, first, screw the gods-“ Luke looked up at him wide eyed for that comment, “I know for a fact that trying to save all of humanity is the right thing to do, and if the gods are going to be so petty and angry at you for trying to do what’s right because of something humanity did over 200,000 years ago, that’s their fault. You’ll be saving _millions_ of lives, innocent lives, Luke. That’s a _good_ thing, don’t ever doubt that.”

“…Okay,” the redhead nodded.

“Second, what _is_ a dragon’s afterlife anyways? You said that humans get reincarnated so obviously we don’t have one, but you do? How does it work?”

“It’s…” Luke pulled himself away from Guy’s arms to sit up, trying to figure out just how to explain it to the blond. “It’s sort of like this: dragons aren’t supposed to die, right?” he asked and Guy nodded. “We are effectively immortal, age and disease won’t kill us, but, we can be killed by injury, like in battle. If we die without fulfilling our duties and services to the gods, we disappear. Our very souls cease to be, as if we never existed in the first place.” Guy looked horrified by that concept. “It’s… a very effective threat from the gods. It’s also a price we have to pay for our immense power and longevity.”

“But if you die in service, or fulfilling your duties?” Guy asked curiously.

Luke scooted over towards the edge of the bed and got up, dismissing his draconic features as he walked over to one of their room’s windows, opening it up. From there, he motioned for Guy to join him before pointing up at the sky. “See that band up in the sky?”

Guy approached and looked at it. “That’s the fon belt.”

Luke nodded. “That’s the gods’ realm. If we die in service, we get to go there and be with those that created us. It’s the ultimate honor for a dragon,” he sighed a little, watching the fon belt shimmer in the silvery moonlight. “But, there’s also a third option for those of us who… aren’t like the others.”

“Like yourself and Asch?”

“Yeah… it doesn’t matter how we die,” his grip tightened on the window sill, “our souls are a tiny fragment of Lorelei’s being. When we die, we return to him and become whole…”

“You sound scared of that…”

“I am.” he weakly laughed. “I don’t want to lose my entire sense of self and disappear into the massive consciousness of Lorelei. But it’ll happen eventually… maybe not for hundreds of thousands of years but it will happen whether I want it to or not… Hell, Lorelei could take my soul away from me at any moment, and that’s… so terrifying to think about.”

“So, it doesn’t matter whether you perform your duties or not. Why be hung up on the gods approval for lowering the outerlands if it really doesn’t matter?”

“It was what I was _created_ for, Guy. I… have no other purpose beyond the duties I was assigned at hatching… If we were to resume our duties, the way the gods had intended for us originally, myself, Asch, and Jade would have to kill all of you,” Luke bowed his head a bit as he cast his glance down to the castle gardens. “You, Tear, Meryl, Ion, Anise… All of you would have to die to protect the secrets of the gateways… Peony, too, given that Tear has no doubt told him by now. With all of you gone and the secrets safe, we could then work covertly to fix the issues with the miasma. And if not, we’d allow the outerlands to collapse, killing humanity with it.”

“Luke…”

“I don’t want that. I _really_ don’t want that, I’ve grown so fond of you all… I just- whether or not if what we’re doing is the ‘right thing’, whether or not we’ve wandered down a path that might damn us all, I just hope that, even if I end up disappearing forever because of the choice to save humanity, you get the chance to live a full life.” he gently took hold of Guy’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

“It wouldn’t be that full of a life without you, you know,” he leaned in to kiss Luke’s cheek, keeping their hands clasped together tightly. “Whatever happens, Luke, I’m happy we have this. Now, let’s stop being so pessimistic for now and get ourselves cleaned up, hm? We have a long day of travel tomorrow and I know that I can’t exactly sleep like this,” he released Luke’s hand and pointed to his leg where semen could be seen dripping slowly down.

“Ah- yeah, good idea,” he said, pulling Guy along over towards the bathroom.

_Undine Redecan, Gnomeday 9 N.D. 2018_

Luke awoke early into the next morning, just before sunrise. His head popped off the pillow and he sat up, fully alert and ready to get going. He looked to his side and found Guy fully entangled in the sheets, snoring a little. Gently, he shook the blond awake. They needed time to pull themselves together and gather up their supplies for the upcoming trip if they wanted to make it in time for-

A knock on their door was a bit of a surprise. Curious, Luke got up (being sure to wrap a blanket around himself) and opened the door, seeing his brother standing there with a sour expression on his face and a bunch of items in his arms.

“You _reek_ of that human. Tell me you did not-“

“That’s none of your business, Asch.”

“That is so _disgusting_ -“

“I didn’t ask for your opinion on the matter. What do you wan-“ Luke was cut off when Asch suddenly shoved the items into his arms, what appeared to be new armor which left Luke a bit speechless.

“Meryl had these commissioned for all of us for our trip.” Pauldrons, van bracers, greaves, a couple breastplates- all of it remarkable craftsmanship and incredible quality. “Get dressed and let’s get the hell out of here. I’m sick of waiting.”

“Alright, alright. We’ll be out shortly.” he stepped back into the room and shut the door, seeing Guy sitting up on the bed, hair a mess while he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Good morning.”

“Mn… mornin’,” he mumbled sleepily with a yawn. “What’s all that?”

“New armor and Asch being impatient as ever. Let’s get going, we need to get a move on if we want to make it to Tataroo on time.” he said, setting their new armor down onto the edge of their bed to sort through. Luke dressed himself quickly, admiring his new look in the mirror while Guy struggled to pull himself together, his body quite sore after the events of last night. “This armor is amazing! Whoever smithed it did an incredible job.” White and gold, with accents of red and thick brown leather straps. Definitely armor fit for a dragon.

Guy’s armor on the other hand looked a bit more knightly, crisp in whites and blues that mimicked Malkuth armor, but less bulky to adapt to Guy’s agile fighting style. The blond smiled a bit when he saw his new armor, reminded of his time in the military, of when he first met Luke. Oh, how things have drastically changed since then. He started to pull the armor on, appreciating the level of detail in the craftsmanship. “You aren’t kidding. When we get back, we should personally thank the smith.”

“We should also thank Meryl.”

“That too.” Guy tied off his last strap, his armor now fully on, “Let’s grab something quick to eat and head out. Traveling on an empty stomach is pretty unappealing.”

“That we both can agree on,” Luke grinned. As if on cue, a servant knocked at their door and Guy hurried over to answer it. A maid stood there with a large platter, on it a host of assorted meats, bread, cheese, and some fruit. “Meryl is already the best queen,” he laughed, taking the tray from the maid who bowed and excused herself.

“That she is,” Luke snickered, mouth watering as he eyed the delicious looking spread.

The two of them ate their fill and then made their way to the royal grounds out in front of the castle. Asch, transformed, and Meryl were already there waiting for them, as well as a bunch of guards, some servants, and a few other nobles that were very eager to see a once in a lifetime display. With their stuff set down off to the side, Luke made sure to take a few steps back so that he could fully transform, much to the enjoyment of the gathered spectators. He stretched out his wings and vocalized his pleasure to be back in his natural form.

There wasn’t much that they could do to cushion his hide for Guy’s sake, but they had been given a very thick, large cut of leather that was placed over his back so Guy could sit a bit easier. So long as Luke didn’t incorporate fire or acrobatics, his body heat wouldn’t be an issue. As Guy got himself and their belongings settled up onto his back, Luke looked over to see Susanne and Meryl stepping near him. Meryl was dressed up in a very beautiful, regal gown with matching gloves, definitely looking her part now. “Thank you for the armor, Meryl,” Luke nodded his head and she smiled.

“I’ll miss you all,” she sighed sadly, wishing deeply that she could accompany them. “You better come back soon with everyone else.”

“Of course we will!” Guy called out. “As soon as we get these things sorted out, we’ll come back.”

“When we head to Zao, I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for your father. I’m positive he’ll want to know about your new status.” Luke said and Meryl giggled.

“Thank you, Luke, Guy,” she then looked over to Asch and smiled at him as well. “Please, take care, all of you. And, good luck.”

“Let’s _go_ already!” Asch snorted impatiently. Luke waited for Guy to give the okay, making sure his human was fully settled in before he raised his wings and took off, Asch following along behind as they rose up high into the sky, heading off for Tataroo valley.

“How long do you think it’ll take for the others to get there?” Guy called out over the rushing wind, ducking down towards Luke’s neck to make the ride a bit easier.

“Depends on how quickly they concluded their business in Grand Chokmah,” Asch replied a bit gruffly. “We _should_ arrive before them if we keep up our current pace.” Which, compared to yesterday’s flight with Luke, they were going roughly half that speed today.

“Regardless of Tear, they needed to finalize the ceasefire, agree to a peace treaty, and order any remaining troops to withdraw. It’s a lot to do in one day. Throw Tear into the mix, and I can’t even begin to imagine just how that was handled. Hopefully well, your Emperor seems like an open minded fellow.” Luke said, titling off to the side just a tad to adjust his trajectory.

The flight from Baticul to Tataroo was roughly four and a half hours with favorable wind conditions. They ended up landing along the open plains just outside the valley as landing along the cliffside could be very dangerous. When Guy got off his back, Luke reverted forms and made sure to check him over to ensure was alright after that long of a flight. When everything checked out, he granted them all a half hour break to get food, drink water, and address the calls of nature if necessary (which was for Guy), before they packed up and started their trek into the valley.

“The gateway is up this hill and across the river,” Luke explained. “There’s a temple built into the cliffside here, that’s where Sync is. With any luck, he shouldn’t give us any-…” he cut himself off as he crested the hill, seeing a field of dead, wilted flowers. “…Oh no.” Luke dropped his bags and ran over to inspect, Asch following closely behind. The normally pristine, white flowers were a withered grey, a sickly purple running through their dead veins. The entire field was like this, and the grass didn’t look much better, either. A stinging sensation in his mouth and throat made it difficult to breathe and he immediately brought a hand up, covering his mouth. “Cover your face, Guy!” Luke barked, seeing the sinister mist hanging low to the ground. It was thin, but concentrated enough to effectively kill every single plant there.

“Where the hell is Sync?” Asch muttered under his breath, looking around rather frantically.

A shiver made every hair on the redheads’ bodies stand on end, and immediately they took to scanning their surrounding area looking for any signs of trouble. Guy was about to say something when Luke held his hand up, silencing him. Luke and Asch ended up standing back to back, lowering their stances a bit as if preparing for something to attack. There were no signs of monsters though, most would have fled by the time the miasma got this bad, so what the hell was making them so damn anxious?

A loud, fierce roar pierced through the area, and their heads all whipped around just in time to see a green flash overhead. The twins eyes widened when they realized just what had happened, and Luke cursed bitterly before taking off in a dead run towards the edge of the cliff.

“-Luke!” Asch shouted, muttering curses himself as he backed up closer to Guy, drawing a sword.

Luke leapt off the edge of the cliff and transformed mid air, using the momentum to propel himself forwards in an attempt to match the green dragon’s speeds. He beat his wings steadily, angered by the fact that he had lost his target when suddenly from above, the green dragon dropped down and dug his claws into the red’s hide. He screeched and rolled in an attempt to get away, but the green dragon, hissing loudly, and refused to let up in pursuit. Luke dropped down towards the sea and used the new speed to lure the green dragon into a chase, leading him away from his more than vulnerable human companion.

Thankfully the green took the bait and followed, relentlessly pursuing Luke in a hysterical rage. Luke began to gain altitude, looping up and over so he was now behind the green dragon, and then shot fire at him. The green was far too agile to be hit, however, and it veered off back towards the cliffs. 

“Qobo’Qo!” Luke snarled, following after to cut him off. The aerial dogfight spiraled far out of control, both dragons fighting high up into the clouds where snarls, roars, and cries of pain echoed out below. Then, both of them fell, Luke having pinned the smaller green dragon’s wings as they tumbled down towards the earth. They crashed into the cliffs, rock and dust spraying everywhere as everything went deathly silent.

Guy held his breath, wide eyed and fearful that the worst might have just happened. He tried to run towards the crash but Asch held him back, shouting insults at the human for being stupid enough to try and run straight towards a mad dragon but Guy refused to listen. Luke could be hurt-!

After a few tense moments and the dust settled, Luke stepped forth, back in his human form, one hand clutching his bleeding abdomen while the other had a fistful of green hair. He was dragging the unconscious body of the other dragon behind him, the boy looking no older than Anise or Ion, though it was difficult to see much of anything at this distance. Asch let go of Guy and the blond ran over to Luke’s side, looking entirely too worried. “…Bastard bit me,” Luke laughed weakly, dropping Sync down onto the ground as he staggered off towards Guy. “Damn that kid fights hard…”

“Are you okay?! Ah here- don’t move I’ll cry for you-“ Guy said but Luke held up his hand and shook his head.

“You’re not a virgin anymore, remember?” Guy blinked. Instead, Luke placed his hand to his abdomen and used magic to heal the wound, only to gasp when he found miasma seeping from the bite marks. “-Asch!”

“Already ahead of you,” the older dragon said, tending to Sync. He slammed a glowing palm down onto the kid’s abdomen, and the boy started to cough violently until he retched that same sludge that Luke had back in Baticul, only this time, much, much more in quantity. When done, Asch dragged Sync off away from the mess, watching the miasma dissolve the grass and flowers entirely. “…It’ll take a while before he regains consciousness.”

“How bad is the miasma inside the gateway if it poisoned Sync _this_ badly?” Luke asked and Asch looked grim.

“Bad enough that the gateway is at serious risk for collapse…”

“Is that why Sync attacked you? He was poisoned?” Guy asked and Luke nodded.

“Miasma can… cloud your mind and judgment. It forces you to feel angry, and can drive you to do _terrible_ things…” Luke muttered, recalling his own experience. “If the poisoning is bad enough, you can lose your mind to it entirely.”

“We got to Sync in time, though,” Asch said, looking back over at the unconscious boy. “But… if the other gateways are like this, we might have lost the rest of our fellow guardians.”

“Keterburg and my own weren’t like that… I’m sure the others are fine…”

“Yes, but mine and Sync’s were. You need to think realistically-“

A low groan escaped from Sync and all three of them looked over at him. Luke then blinked, and looked _greatly_ startled as he slowly approached the boy. “Oh my gods…” he muttered, wide eyed. Guy followed after and his mouth hung agape.

“He… he’s identical to Ion…”


	25. The Descent

“ _Why_ does he look exactly like Ion?!” Guy nearly yelled as he stared down at the unconscious body, slight horror on his face. “I thought Ion was a human!”

“He _is_ \- I don’t know _why_ , Guy! Don’t yell at me!” Luke practically shouted back at him, equally as lost and confused on the matter. 

“What do you _mean_ you don’t know?! You’re the dragon, aren’t you?! You’ve _never_ seen Sync in human form before?!”

“I haven’t seen Sync in over a thousand years because he is a pain in the ass _child_ and _normally_ antisocial dragons like Sync don’t take on a human form!”

“But _why_ would he look _exactly_ like Ion!?”

“I already told you that I don’t know!”

“Will the both of you just shut up?” Asch yelled, silencing the both of them. He stepped in closer and examined the green dragon for a couple of moments, taking some mental notes. “Ion _is_ a human, his mana frequency and lack of any magical presence tells that, but Sync…” he mumbled, “We’re going to have to ask him when he wakes. There’s no point in worrying about it now, we should get out of here before the miasma in the area gets worse-“ A large shadow eclipsed them momentarily, and all three looked up to see Jade overhead, heading off towards the outskirts of the valley. Excellent, they had made it right on time. “I’ll carry him. How’s your abdomen?” Asch looked over to Luke.

“Fine, fine. Cleaned out the miasma and healed up the bite marks-“ Asch gave him a pointed look. “Seriously, I’m fine. I can remember vividly how awful miasma poisoning is, I don’t want to relive it.”

“Just making sure,” Asch muttered as he pulled Sync up off the ground and onto his back. When secure, they headed off, trekking down and out of the valley back towards the open plains. Ah, it was so much easier to _breathe_ out here where there was fresh air. Luke took in several deep breaths and took a couple moments to cough, his throat already feeling a bit raw and sore from the miasma exposure.

“Rem, that stuff stings…” he brought a hand up to his throat to rub it.

Just ahead were the others, Jade back in his human form standing around with Tear, back in her elven form, Anise and Ion. When Luke saw Jade, an overwhelming sense of anger flooded his system. His hand clenched up tightly into a fist and his face twisted into a deep set scowl. He wanted, so badly, to beat that dragon’s skull in with his bare hands- thankfully a well placed hand on his shoulder from Guy reminded him that they all still needed to work together… even if he _really_ didn’t want to.

They were chatting idly about something until Tear took notice of their approach. She cut herself off, running over towards them. “Is everyone alright? I could sense miasma!”

“We’re fine, Tear,” Luke tried to assure the elf but she didn’t look too convinced, “I swear, you’re as bad as Asch is sometimes… There is quite a bit of miasma up in the valley. It’s not very concentrated, but it’s enough to drive out the wildlife and kill the flora. Poisoned Sync. The amount of miasma in his body was… disturbing.”

“Will he be alright?” she asked and Asch nodded.

“I purged it from his system. He’ll be unconscious for a while.” the older red said and Tear let out a shaky sigh.

“That’s a relief… The ceasefire and treaty talks in Malkuth went well, though the news of my homeland and my people…” Tear trailed off looking a bit distressed, much to everyone’s dismay.

“Please don’t tell me the Emperor took it badly…” Guy swallowed hard.

“No, no- the Emperor was enthralled. His advisors and guards on the other hand…” she nervously scratched at the back of her head.

“What are we going to do about the Tataroo gateway?” Asch abruptly asked, steering the conversation back to the more pressing matter. “It’s about to collapse if the miasma is this bad.”

“It’s what?!” Tear gasped.

“I don’t know, Asch… if Tataroo falls, Baticul is going with it…” Luke felt his mouth run dry, fearing for Meryl and Lady Susanne’s safety.

Jade, Anise, and Ion finally caught up, drawing everyone’s attention. “This gate’s on the brink of collapse? Well, that’s not good,” Jade observed casually and the reds frowned at him.

“Oh, man!” Anise whined, grabbing at her hair. “That’s _really_ bad…!”

“I take it that means the two of you are off to the Radiation and Absorption gate?” the blue asked and they nodded. “You sure you’ll be able to handle this on your own?”

Asch scoffed and crossed his arms, “Of course we can handle it.”

“Honestly, Jade, I’m quite insulted that you don’t even trust us.” Luke muttered, biting back his hatred and Jade snorted.

“Save the sarcasm and leave it for when we have the time. I’ll take Sync with us to Yulia city where, hopefully, he can be given some much needed medical attention. How much miasma was inside of him?”

“More than what was inside of me.” Luke shuddered at the thought. “He’ll be out cold for a long while-“ Ion blinked and stepped forwards, finally noticing the unconscious body that Asch had been shouldering on his back.

“That’s…” he blinked, hands trembling a little. “I… am greatly uncomfortable…”

“…Yeah, we were kind of wondering about that, too.” Luke sighed. “I take it that means that you know nothing about this?” Ion slowly shook his head. “Great. So we do have to wait for Sync to regain consciousness. Perfect…” It was always something else, wasn’t it? “Anyways, I’ll tackle the Absorption gate, Asch, you take the Radiation gate.”

“Are you sure?” Asch asked and Luke nodded.

“Yes-”

“Wait- what about the plan to check the other gateways? We’re lowering the lands _now_?” Tear sputtered and Luke nodded.

“Unless we want Tataroo and subsequently Baticul and likely Grand Chokmah to fall, yes, we’re lowering the land now. Jade’ll take you and Sync to Yulia city, you need to be there to inform your people of the descent. Guy, you’re with me.” he looked over to the blond and shot him a brief smile. “Asch, take Anise and Ion with you- drop them off at Baticul and get there as fast as you can.”

“You honestly think I’ll allow humans to ride me-“

“Now’s _really_ not the time for your stubbornness, Asch. Just _do_ it, because you’re a hell of a lot of a faster flyer than I am.” Guy paled a bit at that thought. Luke had gone plenty fast the first time they flew together; how could anything go _faster_? “Ion, Anise, inform Meryl what’s happening when you get there.”

“Are you sure, Luke?” Anise asked with worry clearly evident in her tone. “Isn’t Baticul in risk of collapse with the Tataroo gateway about to fall?”

“Jade can’t carry all of you to Yulia city. Besides, he has to utilize another gateway to even get there from here. Shurrey Hill, right?” Luke looked over his shoulder at Jade and the dragon nodded. “Besides, we need Meryl to know of the situation, and we can’t have Asch taking you to the radiation gate, it’s _way_ too dangerous.”

“But Guy gets to go with you-” she mumbled bitterly and Luke frowned.

“Anise, I’m giving you an order. Your job is to keep Ion safe, and you will be doing just that by going to Baticul.” Luke said sternly. Ion stepped up next to her and gently grabbed at her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Ion-?” she looked over at him and the boy gave her an easy smile.

“Let’s listen to him, okay?” he asked, and, slowly, Anise relented, nodding her head.

Asch snorted impatiently, “Hurry up,” he spat, passing off the unconscious dragon to Jade before he stepped back and transformed. “Get on,” he instructed gruffly. Ion climbed up onto Asch’s back first, then lent a hand down to Anise to help her up, the two of them getting settled.

“We’ll reconvene at Yulia city once this is all over, assuming the two of you are successful, of course” Jade said as he transformed, allowing Tear to take Sync and climb up onto him. 

“You know it will be,” Asch scoffed. Luke swallowed thickly, knowing full well what this would entail, and it didn’t sit right in his stomach. Asch took off first, heading back towards the Capital of Light, while Jade soon left towards Engeve and St. Binah. Luke was lost in fraught thoughts for a couple moments until Guy snapped him out of it. Slightly embarrassed, Luke quickly transformed and allowed Guy to mount him. When he felt his mate settle, he quickly took to the skies and started to head due north at a blazing speed.

Guy gripped onto Luke’s spines tightly, ducking down so low his chin was practically on Luke’s scales. The rushing winds at this kind of speed was near unbearable, both against his face and in his ears. It was hard to hear anything! “I can’t believe the war managed to do this much damage! First Daath and now Tataroo?” he called out loudly, looking down at the valley that shrank behind them, seeing the tinge of purple that stained the area.

“It wasn’t just the war that did this,” Luke started, flapping his wings hard to hasten their journey, “Miasma takes years to build up and become potent. This has been a problem for centuries, at least. More likely thousands of years… and none of us have even noticed it,” he spat bitterly. For Zaleho to have collapsed, and have Sync attack him so rabidly like that while Tataroo was still in tact, surely Asch must have been in an even worse state before he perished. That thought made him shudder; to be so thoroughly poisoned and not even realize until it’s too late, that there’s nothing that can be done about it. Luke could only hope that Sync would be okay; Asch was thanks to Lorelei’s intervention, Sync might not be so lucky.

“Are you going to be able to navigate through the Absorption gate? You guys made it seem like a dragon only really knows their own gate.”

“I’ve been to the Absorption gate once before,” Luke admitted. “There’s no guardians for the polar gateways, the surrounding terrain is too harsh, it’s impossible for humans to set foot onto it without the aid of a dragon, and even then, the maze is magically enchanted to keep _everything_ out. I know how to bypass that, though. Lorelei showed me how.” he said, starting to feel a little tired trying to keep such a fast pace.

“You’ve been there before?” Guy asked and Luke fell silent for a few moments.

“Not willingly...”

On top of the four hours it took to get from Baticul to Tataroo Valley earlier that day, it took another five to get to the northern pole, with a few minor detours for rest, food, and water. A severe blizzard masked the pole from view until the last possible second, and Luke miscalculated the distance. He touched down in quite the rough terrain too quickly, leaving them skidding onto the barren wasteland in a crash landing. Snow sprayed all around, blanketing Luke completely only for it to quickly melt after coming into contact with him. His sides heaved as he gasped for air, having utterly exhausted himself on such a long, difficult flight. Slowly, he transformed back into his human form, pulling himself up to his knees to see if Guy survived the landing.

“If you died… I’m going to be... _really_ upset…” he panted, forcing himself up to his feet.

Guy popped out from under the snow, brushing it from his hair. “I’m still alive… if barely…” he shivered violently. “How long would it take Asch to get to the Radiation gate?”

“He... should be getting there... soon, even with the... detour to Baticul. Asch was always the... faster flyer...”

“A-aren’t you c-c-cold? Guy’s teeth started to chatter.

“I’m a little… overheated…” Luke struggled to regain his breath, fanning himself as he sweated profusely.

“R-Rem, will you b-be okay?!” Guy ran over to Luke’s side, feeling the heat radiating off of him.

“Y-yeah, just need... to rest for a little while… anyway... stay close, otherwise you’ll be... lost in the maze forever... and there’ll be nothing... that I can do... to get you out,” he warned in between his breaths, looking Guy dead in the eyes. Dragon or no, this place was enchanted directly by the gods themselves.

The two waddled over to the entrance of the gateway through the thick snow, the winds howling as sleet whipped all around them. They approached the large structure, what looked like a cave though its mouth was blocked off by a large stone surface that had carvings. Luke used his claws to slice open his palm, using the blood to draw a very large, intricate symbol over the stone that barred them entrance. Unlike what Jade did at Mt. Roneal, this symbol Luke drew had purpose, though what that purpose was, Guy could hardly guess. The dragons all seemed very fond of being cryptic with their magic. The door glowed brightly, and before the light could fully envelop him, Luke grabbed hold of Guy tightly with his free arm and made sure to pull him in as close as possible.

In a flash, the light was gone, and they were no longer outside in the snowy tundra. They were someplace completely different, indoors, warm, and it very unique in appearance compared to anything else Guy had ever seen. There was a giant, glowing pillar at the center of where they were, and looking around, Guy could see that they were standing on floating platforms over an endless black abyss. High above, an elaborate set of pathways and mazes spanned for what seemed like forever.

“You’d be lost in that right now if I hadn’t grabbed you,” Luke muttered before hurrying over to the glowing pillar.

“Thanks for keeping me from that,” Guy laughed weakly. That would have been a cruel, unkind fate...

“…Asch will be there in half an hour,” Luke said, turning to face Guy as he withdrew his hand from the light. “Rest up for now.”

“You should be the one resting… But, were you able to communicate with Asch just then?” Guy asked, wandering over towards him.

“Little known fact about Lorelei: he’s also known as the god of sound and prophecy to the right people.” Luke said, trailing his fingers in the pillar of light. Small, glowing particles scattered about into the air before disappearing, “These are called memory particles. They allow me to use the bit of Lorelei within me to see and hear things I wouldn't normally be able to. I saw Asch's arrival on the other side of the world." he withdrew his hand and looked over at the blond, a look of worry on his face, "I really hope that this works..." he mumbled anxiously, leaning against the man for support.

“It will. I have the utmost faith in your abilities.” Guy wrapped his arms around Luke’s waist and pulled him in for a much needed hug.

“It’s not _my_ abilities that I’m worried about…” Luke mumbled almost inaudibly. Guy managed to catch that though, and it left him wondering if perhaps Asch might not be as magically gifted. Oh, _that_ was a calming thought that soothed the frayed nerves. He really, really hoped that wasn’t the case, because millions of lives were at stake.

That half hour passed by all too quickly for Luke’s comfort. Thankfully in the downtime, he had managed to cool himself off and mentally prepare himself for what was to come. He instructed Guy to step back away from the pillar to give him space, and once the human was in a safe position, Luke approached the pillar and pressed his hand up to the light. There was a series of glowing letters that appeared- good, Asch was in position.

Taking in a deep breath, he forced himself to relax and open up to the magic that filled this place. It hummed, resonating deeply in all too familiar thrums as the memory particles began to sparkle, golden in colour, channeled through Lorelei.

_‘los hi bek hi laan wah dreh daar? 1’_

A voice, entirely too faint asked in the back of his mind.

“Zu'u gahviik dimaar wah hin suleyk.2”

_’Ful kos nii, 3’_

Luke opened up his eyes, and that familiar emerald was replaced with an intense gold that glowed brightly. A _presence_ filled the room, so powerful, so oppressive, that Guy stumbled backwards and found himself staring at the redhead in _awe_. The being that he was staring at _wasn’t_ his dragon anymore… 

The redhead raised his hands up and started to weave the magic surrounding them, the memory particles that had been in the pillar now being pulled towards him and circling overhead. Glyphs appeared high above in the particles, written in a language so ancient humans could not possibly hope to comprehend. Each glyph representing a gateway that was located somewhere on this planet; there were ten in total, though one was dimmed compared to the rest, which must have been for Padamiya…

Guy shuffled backwards several steps and watched as each symbol was manually changed by the redhead’s power. The ground then began to shake violently. He struggled to keep his footing and fell back onto the platform, watching as a bright red light shot up high through the gateway, past the maze, up into the sky. The glyphs overhead changed to match, showing that this was occurring everywhere else in the world, and then, along the fault lines where one piece of raised land connected to the other, light came through. Meryl, Anise, Ion, and Susanne all looked out of the castle window with worry, praying that the boys could do it.

The lands suddenly lurched as the gateways began to deactivate, the redhead finding it increasingly difficult to keep them aloft and he dropped down to one knee, struggling to keep his hands up and channeling the power required. “Lorelei!” Guy yelled, picking himself back up off the platform. “You and the others built this entire false world and _now_ you’re going act like it’s too heavy?! You’re a _god_ aren’t you!?” There was disgust in his voice along with anger. A god- a _god_ couldn’t handle this and failure _was not an option_. “Get back up and finish this!” he shouted, hands curled up into fists.

Slowly the redhead pulled himself back up to his feet, glancing back at the blond from over his shoulder with an eerily calm expression on his face which, quite frankly, put Guy ill at ease. The knight held his breath and watched Lorelei puppet Luke- and undoubtedly Asch at the Radiation gate- into lowering the lands.

The first of the land hit the dividing line between worlds, the strain easing considerably. Soon after the rest of the lands hit the line and for a short time, there was reprieve, allowing the god sorely needed rest. After the lands passed through the line however was the challenge, as gravity worked its hardest to claim the crust. Chunks of the ocean broke off, small islands going with it as the edges of the lands started to crumble away during the descent. Strain was an understatement as unimaginable pain flooded throughout Luke’s body. The weight of the world was too heavy, and Lorelei could feel that both of his vessels were at their absolute limits. Any longer, and there could be dire consequences-

The lands touched down onto Eldrant’s surface, and the brightly glowing pillar that was the gateway vanished, leaving the room incredibly cold, dark, and devoid of any magic. Guy ran over to Luke’s side, reaching out to grab his arm when those golden irises stared at him blankly. He held his breath, unable to look away until he saw that Luke’s nose was starting to bleed. Panic set in and Guy grabbed hold of Luke, the gold fading back to that familiar green instantly.

Luke looked very dazed and confused, until his eyes rolled back and he collapsed down onto his knees, Guy being the only thing keeping him from falling down onto the floor completely. “H-Hey! Luke! Luke, are you okay?!” he quickly crouched down and gently laid Luke back, checking for a pulse.

Oh thank the seven… he was still alive…

What in the _hell_ was that…?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Are you sure you want to do this?  
> 2 I surrender myself to your power.  
> 3 So be it,


	26. Reprieve

_Undine Redecan, Remday 10 N.D. 2018_

Luke awoke slowly a couple hours later, his head swimming as he was unable to gather any thoughts together to form some semblance of cohesion. His vision was considerably dimmed and blurred, making it near impossible to tell where he was, and his hearing… that incessant ringing, that he knew was from Lorelei intrinsically, was just annoying. It also didn’t help that his body felt like lead and that he really, really didn’t want to move.

“Luke?”

That was Guy’s voice. The redhead tried to focus his vision and looked upwards, seeing a somewhat fuzzy outline that was starting to clear up. It took a few moments, but his vision came back to him and his hearing fully returned as well. Luke found that Guy had taken him into his lap, and there was a look of serious worry on his face.

“…Since you’re not dead, I assume we were successful?” 

Guy could only laugh weakly in response, carding a hand through his hair. “Jeez, that’s the only thing you can think to say to me? Yeah, it looks like Lorelei did it. That was… really something.”

Luke slowly extracted himself from Guy and sat up, his headache fading away. “You saw that, huh?” his cheeks flushed ever so slightly. “Here I was hoping that he’d be a bit more discreet.”

“How could I not? Lorelei made things quite the spectacle… Which, I have to admit, I never really ever thought I’d be in the presence of one of the _gods_ before. That was an experience… Though, I did sort of yell at him so-“

“You did what?” Luke blinked, looking very surprised.

“He nearly dropped the land, Luke. That couldn’t happen, and I snapped at him to make sure he knew it. Though, that’s probably going to come back and bite me in the ass, isn’t it?”

“I could do that for you,” Luke weakly grinned and Guy snorted.

“Okay, no jokes like that, please. How do you feel? You looked really…” he trailed off, recalling the rather copious amount of blood that had run from Luke’s nose while Lorelei was present. “I mean, you blacked out for a _while_. Are you _okay_?”

“It’s just mana strain, I’ll be fine with some rest.”

“Mana strain?” Guy parroted and Luke nodded.

“The more adept with magic a creature is, the more mana they can channel through their bodies. If someone channels too much mana for their body to handle, their body can get hurt as a result. The gods are pure manifestations of mana, and even dragons have their limits.” he explained and Guy brought a hand to his chin.

“You’re not hurt, are you? You were bleeding pretty badly for a while…” Guy reached out to gently brush his hand up against Luke’s cheek, the red dragon bringing his hand up to grasp it.

“I’ll be _fine_ , Guy. Lorelei released me and Asch before any serious damage could happen. I just need some rest and I’ll be right as rain, I promise.”

“Okay, I believe you,” Guy leaned in and placed a soft kiss onto Luke’s forehead. “You scared the hell out of me, though. For a brief moment I thought you had died.”

“Sorry,” Luke said sheepishly before he looked around, seeing the polar gateway deactivated and dead looking. “…We should get out of here and meet up with the others.”

“Out of the question- you’re in no condition to fly.” Guy stated firmly and Luke scoffed.

“And you’re going to stop me how, exactly?” he challenged and Guy hesitated, not quite sure how to answer that. “We have no supplies, and with the gateway deactivated, the magic is gone and soon the terrible weather outside will work its way in here. I can’t take us all the way to Yulia city on top of everything I’ve done, but I can get us to Keterburg where we can get some rest.”

“Are you _sure_ you can get us that far?”

“I’ll manage.”

“That’s comforting…” Guy muttered as he slowly stood up, extending his hand down to Luke. Luke accepted and was pulled up to his feet, where he was a little unsteady for a few moments much to Guy’s dismay. 

Luke shook his head and took in a deep breath. “Alright, let’s go,”

Upon exiting back out into the snowy tundra of the northern pole, the two of them looked upwards towards the sky. The blizzard had died down during the descent it seemed, and the resulting ribbon of northern lights in the sky was quite the view that Guy wished he could stick around and watch for a while. They could physically see just how much further down they were than before; the fon belt was _tiny_ …

Luke was far too exhausted to care about the arctic temperatures and forced himself to transform despite the ache in his body. When Guy mounted, take off was quite slow, and at a very labored pace which was… worrying. Barely into the air and his wings felt like they would just rip from his body, and his lungs were sucking in as much air as they could but it just wasn’t enough. His chest _hurt_ , but they had to keep going.

When land was in sight a mere hour and a half later, Luke dropped in altitude a little too quickly. His body gave out on him and he crashed hard into the snowbanks, sides heaving rapidly as he tried to just _breathe_. Movement out of the corner of his eye drew his gaze, and he could see Guy trudging through the snow over towards him.

“…Sorry for… crashing… again,” Luke wheezed before slipping into the realms of unconsciousness. Luckily for the both of them, this triggered an automatic transformation back into human form, which meant that Guy would be able to carry him to safety.

“You’ve done more than enough- let me return the favor,” Guy said as he leaned in and brushed some snow off of Luke’s face only to flinch at the sheer amount of heat the dragon was radiating. Damnit, Luke pushed himself _way_ too far…

_Undine Redecan, Undineday 13 N.D. 2018_

Green eyes blearily opened up to discover that he was in a completely unfamiliar room. Luke sat up with a jolt, recognizing the decor to be that of Keterburg’s hotel. They had made it…? Right, he had crashed and… he looked down to see Guy resting on the bed next to him, stripped of his armor and gear, wearing one of the spa’s bathrobes. Luke snorted amusedly until he stopped short and realized he had no clue how long he had been unconscious. The others were probably worried sick about them! They had to get to Yulia city and-

“Ah, you’re awake,” an unfamiliar voice from the far side of the room spoke up, drawing Luke’s attention. “I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to wake up.” Fluffy silver hair, trademark blue jacket- oh, of _course_ this was just his luck.

“…Ginji?” Luke rasped a little. “What on Auldrant are you doing here?”

“Well, when the gate’s codes were being overwritten and the lands started descending, I figured you and Asch were behind it. Keterburg was next closest city with a nearby gateway since Padamiya collapsed. I stopped into town to gather some supplies before heading off but I ran into that human over there,” he pointed at Guy. “He smelled of you so I demanded that he take me to you.” 

“You-… are you here to help or attack?” Luke asked warily. Ginji was, after all, another blue dragon who happened to take his duty as a guardian quite seriously. And with the gateways gone…

“I’m not sure yet,” Ginji answered pointedly, crossing his arms. “Why is it that you and Asch decided to lower the land and disable the gates?”

Luke was involuntarily holding his breath, his hands trembling a bit. He was too weak after everything that happened to be able to stand a chance against Ginji in a fight… Thankfully for him, all of the conversation stirred Guy from his sleep and the blond sat up, diffusing the tension in the room.

“Settle down you two,” he muttered, rubbing at his eyes.

“Don’t tell me what to do, human.” Ginji scoffed. Guy rolled his eyes and got up off the bed, heading over to the dresser where he stashed a bag of food. After pulling out a fruit tart for himself, he tossed the bag over to Luke, as the rest were filled with a bunch of smoked, salted meat. The red _immediately_ tore into the bag, acting downright ravenous as Ginji looked on in slight disgust. “…You must have _really_ worn yourself out if you’re resorting to that kind of behavior, huh?” he asked, but Luke ignored him, trying to shove as much food into his mouth as possible. Ginji sighed heavily and crossed his arms. He didn’t like being ignored, but he could see just how poor a state of being Luke was in. He’d been unconscious for days, clearly he was starving… “What on Auldrant _happened_ to you?”

Luke swallowed his mouthful and instantly felt so much better than before. “Ten- eleven hours of flight with a passenger, Lorelei to-“

“You flew for _eleven_ hours?!” Ginji balked, looking quite appalled. “You’re still growing! That’ll damage your wings-“

“I _had_ to! Sync’s gateway was about to collapse just like Padamiya’s did.” That shut Ginji up. “It was overflowing with miasma, and Sync was _badly_ poisoned.”

“Is he…?”

“Asch purged it, but we don’t know if he’ll recover. He should be in Yulia city right now with the others, which, we need to get to-“

“You’re going to try and fly even more? I don’t think so.” Ginji stamped his foot down and Luke blinked.

“Ginji-“

“You’re physically exhausted. If you try to fly the rest of that distance, you’ll very likely burn out and fall into the sea and drown. I’m not letting that happen. I’ll take you.” Relief flooded Luke’s face.

“Seven blessings, Ginji…” Luke finally felt like he could _breathe_ again.

Guy also let out a sigh, grateful that Luke could get some much needed rest, and grateful that the chances of another crash landing would be reduced significantly. “Thank you, Ginji. We need to get to Yulia city pronto-“

“We?” Ginji looked over at Guy with slight disdain. “You still haven’t explained to me what you are doing traveling with a dragon, human.”

Luke waved his hand dismissively at the blue dragon, “Ginji, don’t. Guy is my companion and we have been traveling together for a long while now.”

“Companion?” Ginji sounded skeptical. “Your scent is _all_ over him, if you catch my-“

“Yes, I do.” Luke looked him dead in the eyes.

“…So you picked a human for your mate? That’s laughable.”

“Watch it,” Luke hissed. “I didn’t ask for your input on the matter and you’re forgetting your _place_. Do not forget that I outrank you. Where I go, he goes, and that’s final.” Ginji looked quite irritated by this, but said nothing further, waiting patiently for the younger dragon to finish his meal.

“Trust me when I say that it’s a long story,” Guy laughed weakly as he scratched the back of his head. “We didn’t exactly plan for that to happen but, it did.”

“I really don’t want to hear about it.” Ginji muttered. “...Is Asch okay?” he looked back to Luke with slight worry on his face.

“I would assume so. He was always the tougher one.”

“You don’t know for sure though?”

“With the gates deactivated and memory particles scattered, I have no way of contacting him until we get to our rendezvous point. I’m _sure_ he’s fine, Ginji.”

When done with his food, Luke attempted to stand up only to find that his body would not cooperate as he had pushed himself to pure physical exhaustion. None of his muscles wanted to work properly, and so Guy had to carry him out of the hotel on his back- after dressing of course. No possible way he was going to ride on another dragon in a bathrobe. 

Rather than heading out of the city like Luke had anticipated, Ginji instead transformed right in the middle of town, sending the locals fleeing. One woman actually fainted. “It’s not nice to scare the locals, Ginji,” Luke sighed and the blue dragon chortled.

“They’re living in Eldrant now, they better get used to things like this. Get on, let’s get moving.”

Very similar to how they flew with Jade the first time, Guy pulled himself up and had Luke sit behind him. He then pulled out a cloak and wrapped it around Luke, but made sure to tie the ends around his own waist so that way Luke couldn’t fall off. “You can get some more sleep this way, though you should still try to hold onto me,” he said, looking at the red over his shoulder.

“Alright,” Luke said softly, gripping onto Guy tightly. 

Ginji raised his wings and took off, soaring up high into the frigid winds that belonged only to Sylvana. Thankfully for them, Ginji was pretty large- not nearly as large as Jade was, but large enough to make this flight pretty quick. It took only three hours before Yulia city was in view, and Ginji swooped in low to make his landing over near the palace’s entrance. Several elves could be seen scrambling about below, some guards rushing over to greet them. What was important was that Asch, Jade, Tear, and surprisingly, Sync came out of the palace to greet them. Luke and Guy got down off of the blue’s back and just in time, as Ginji started to snarl rather aggressively as Jade approached. “Hi fus mok wah bo fah gein sed omaar?”

“Nii lost praagek." Jade replied nonchalantly, much to Ginji’s annoyance.

Luke still hung off of Guy heavily, his body still refusing to fully cooperate when Asch hurried over to inspect him. “Why are you so late getting here?” Asch asked with fret. “Are you alright? Why is Ginji here with you?”

“Get off me, I’m fine, just… tired. I flat out exhausted myself to the point of blacking out. We laid over in Keterburg to rest and Ginji found us.”

“I’m relieved to see that you’re safe, Asch,” Ginji weakly smiled at the older red.

“It’s good to see you too, Ginji.” Asch nodded his head.

Tear clasped her hands together excitedly as her eyes sparkled. “We are _always_ honored to welcome more of the guardians into our fair city! You honor us, guardian!” she bowed deeply to him. Ginji found this amusing, but his attention fell to Sync who had been standing in the background rather silently with a sour look on his face.

“Qobo’Qo.” Ginji huffed.

“Vaan’Viin,” Sync replied back, crossing his arms.

“Yolus ahmiin zey tol hi lost viidost.1”

"Rok vokras zey naal fus.2" Sync snorted, shaking his head. "Ov zey, Zu'u dreh ni laan wah kos het.3"

Luke peered behind Asch at Sync and stuck his tongue out at him. "Hi los gein tol bit zey!4”

"Zu'u fund dreh nii einzuk ko hil grail.5” Sync laughed and Luke started to growl at that.

“That’s enough, children. Settle down,” Jade sighed heavily and Guy found himself grateful- he always disliked it when they went off on tangents in their native tongue. He sort of felt like an outsider, or at times an idiot for not being able to understand. Ginji reverted back into human form and rolled his shoulders, a few cracks sounding off as joints popped from the flight. “Tensions are high, everyone is tired after everything that’s happened. Luke, Asch, I’m giving you two a week to sleep and recover.”

“A week…?” Luke blinked.

“The palace has rooms for the both of you-“

“But what about the treaties, and the miasma? We need to-“ Luke objected but the look Jade gave him had him go silent.

“You’re no use to us if you’re half dead. These are problems that won’t resolve itself in a week’s time. You two _need_ to recover. Sync, you too. You’ll have a room of your own. You’re still growing and you were _deeply_ poisoned.”

“Tch. Fine, whatever.” Sync spat.

“Hey, Sync,” Luke piped up and the boy looked at him, “We’ve been sort of wondering about something with how you look-”

“That’s offensive sounding.” he cocked his hip and Luke frowned. The brat... 

“Do you, perchance, know the current human Divine, Ion?” Sync furrowed a brow and shook his head.

“Nope. I took an extended hibernation about four hundred years ago. Not up to date with any of the current politics and, quite frankly, I don’t _care_.”

“...Great, and Ion’s still in Baticul with Anise and Meryl, isn’t he?” Luke glanced to Jade who nodded. They were never going to get their answer about this, were they?

“Can you direct us to the rooms?” Guy asked as he looked over at Tear. “Luke isn’t really in any condition to walk off on his own just yet." Tear nodded and motioned for all of them to follow, leading them into the palace towards the guest wings. The walk took a bit of time given Luke’s current disposition, but when they arrived at their given guest room, it looked quite similar to the one they had all shared the last time they were here, although this was a private chamber rather than communal.

Guy helped Luke over to the edge of the bed and sat him down before fussing with him to make sure he was okay. Luke gently swatted his hands aside and looked a little annoyed, but he couldn’t be mad when his mate was just trying to make sure he was comfortable. “Well then, I guess I’ll be waking you up in a week. You sure you’ll be fine here? I can take you over to Asch’s room if you want to sleep with him.”

“I’m good here,” Luke mumbled tiredly, rubbing at his eyes. “Besides, I know you’ll come crawling in here at night to sleep with me and that might get awkward if Asch is in the mix,” he chuckled to himself as he laid down, making himself more comfortable. “See you in a week,” he said softly, eyes closing as he slipped into a deep slumber.

Guy smiled warmly and leaned in, placing kiss onto his cheek before he got up and exited the room. He wandered back over to the front of the castle to find Jade and Ginji arguing amongst themselves. Oh gods, it looked pretty heated, too.

“You expect me to act as a ferry service to go pick up some humans?” Ginji scoffed.

“I’m asking for your help. I need to fly to Grand Chokmah to fetch the Emperor, and with Asch, Luke, and Sync all resting, that leaves you to fly to Baticul to-”

“What _I_ need to do is go to Zao and check on my sister! Zao is the next closest gateway to Tataroo, and if Sync was that badly poisoned, I need to make sure that she’s-”

“I understand how you feel, but-”

“No, you don’t. This is nothing like what happened to Nephry when she was-” Jade reached out and slapped Ginji across the face, much to Guy’s horror. This was the second time this Nephry person came up and Jade _always_ had such a visceral reaction to it…

“You will do well to remember when you are speaking to your betters, boy.” Jade hissed harshly. “This is an order: fly to Baticul and escort Queen Meryl, Divine Ion, and his guardian Anise back here to Yulia city. Do I make myself clear?” Ginji frowned deeply as he rubbed his swollen cheek.

“Yes, sir…” he said begrudgingly before turning around to transform and take off.

Jade sighed heavily, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. “Such impudence… Oh, Gailardia,” Jade turned, taking notice of the knight’s presence. “I’m sorry you had to witness that bit of ugliness. I take it Luke’s been put to bed?” Guy nodded. “Good. I’ve just ordered Ginji to bring Meryl, Anise and Ion here. I’m off to Grand Chokmah to escort his Majesty. We’ll be able to solidify a peace treaty between both nations, as well as establish laws concerning the elves. With any luck, this will bring about peace and stop the spread of the miasma considerably.”

“I hope that we’ll be able to negotiate good terms, Emperor Peony and Meryl are very nice people.” Tear said with a small sigh as she approached them.

“I think it’ll go well, at least on the humans’ side of things. They’re all pretty willing to work together. The elves, no offense Tear, are a different story.” Guy said. Tear wanted to take offense to that remark but Jade held up a hand, forcing her to dismiss any anger that she held in response. Instead, Tear exhaled a bit sharply before excusing herself with a curtsy to go back into the castle to speak with her half brother… It was time for her to resume her activities on the throne, now that diplomatic issues were serious.

When alone, Jade turned back to Guy. “Well, I doubt that you would be willing to say yes after so much travel in such little time, but I figure I’d extend the offer regardless. You are welcome to come with me back to Grand Chokmah to fetch his majesty. Not that your presence is necessarily required, but a noble from Malkuth traveling alongside the Emperor would put the minds of worried advisors at ease if you were to act as his official guard and escort.” he supplied, shrugging a bit casually. “That, and I know for a fact that you will be bored out of your mind here for a week with Luke unconscious.”

“I doubt I could be bored in the elven capital, but given their hostility towards humans, I think I’ll take you up on that offer to accompany you.” Jade raised a brow.

“You’re willing to trust me?”

“You haven’t done anything shifty since the incident at the oasis and have been remarkably straightforward thereafter. Besides, you never lie when it comes to the Emperor and his safety.” Jade laughed.

“You have me there. Alright, let us be off then. It’s a longer flight back to Grand Chokmah and Ginji got a head start. The sooner we fetch his Majesty, the better.” Jade transformed, allowing the knight to climb up onto his back. When he was settled, they were off, and so began the final step in achieving peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Flame has told me you were poisoned.  
> 2 He cured me through force.  
> 3 Trust me, I do not want to be here.  
> 4 You're the one that bit me!  
> 5 I'd do it again it a heartbeat.


	27. Broken

_Undine Redecan, Remday 17 N.D. 2018_

Ginji had arrived back in Yulia city first, dropping Meryl, Ion, and Anise off in front of the royal palace- all of whom were very eager to meet up with everyone again. Though, much to their surprise, there was no formal welcome for them from any of their companions. Jade arrived sometime shortly after, carrying Emperor Peony and Guy along his back- the Emperor looking _quite_ enthralled by everything around him.

“Jade, there you are!” Meryl hurried over to the blue dragon after he had touched down, though she stopped herself short upon seeing the Emperor and promptly straightened herself out. “Oh- good day, your Majesty,” she bowed her head to him.

“Yo, Meryl. Congratulations on your major promotion!” he grinned, jumping off of Jade’s back onto the ground. She was quite a bit startled by his lack of decorum but, given this was exactly how he acted back in Grand Chokmah, she really shouldn’t have been surprised. “It must have caused quite the stir with the nobility back in Baticul, eh?”

“Yes, it did,” she laughed a bit nervously before looking back over to Jade. “Luke and Tear appear to be gone. We’ve been here for a little while now, but we haven’t been able to find them.”

“Yeah, it’s not like them to just ignore us,” Anise huffed, resting her hands on her hips.

“Luke, Asch, and Sync should all still be asleep in their rooms. As for Tear, I cannot say,” Jade said as he shifted back to human form. He then looked over to Ginji, “You are released from service. Go to Zao.”

Ginji left without a word.

“So! This is the city of the elves, huh?” Peony asked as he looked around. “It reminds me a bit of home. We should get some of their architects to beautify our city. The people back home would _love_ this!”

“Now, now, your Majesty, this isn’t what you’re here for.” Jade cleared his throat and the Emperor scoffed.

“You really don’t need to be so formal with me, Jade. You’re not human.”

“No, but I still serve under your banner and intend to keep it that way for a while longer.” he smiled at the man who in turn grinned.

“Yes, well, I would assume Tear would be within the palace _somewhere_...” Meryl spoke up, “So let’s try and get these treaty talks underway, shall we?”

“The sooner the better,” Guy agreed with a nod. “To the audience hall or is there a smaller meeting room that we should go to?”

“The elves’ customs are quite a bit different when it comes to diplomatic affairs, so-“ Jade started, but a couple of elven guards that were armored and heavily armed approached them in lockstep. “Doral ana’diel?1” he asked as they stood at attention, saluting.

“Ban’dinoriel, Quel’thas thori shindu melanore!2”

“Ah, shala.3” Jade nodded as the guards turned and began to walk towards the palace. “We’re to follow, they’re taking us to Tear.” he said as the group of humans and the guardian began to walk with them. 

Up the stairs and into the palace, they were led to the grand throne room where not Tear, but an older, unfamiliar man sat upon the throne. He looked quite stern, with darker skin than most elves, but he had that same brunette hair and blue eyes that Tear did. This seemed to have caught Jade off guard, because he certainly wasn’t expecting to see someone other than Tear on the throne. What grabbed Guy’s attention, however, was the fact that _his_ family’s sword was strapped to the strange man’s side...

“Ban’dinoriel,” the man said with high regard to Jade, bowing his head, before turning his attention to the humans that now filled the throne room. “I am Vandesdelca, commander of the Yulian army and prince regent. What business have you in my court?” he asked, looking quite serious.

There was hesitation amongst the humans before Meryl stepped forwards. “Um… My humblest of greetings to you, Ser Vandes…telga-“ she bowed, internally kicking herself for butchering his name’s pronunciation. 

“Van suffices.” he cocked his head to the side slightly.

“We were expecting to meet with her highness, Princess Mystearica?” she wrung her hands together nervously, biting her bottom lip.

“My younger sister is currently indisposed at the moment with an important matter that requires her full attention. She has asked that I handle these proceedings in her place as to stave off further delay.” He stated firmly and that got a side look from a few of the humans here. Tear not seeing to this herself when she spent all of that time traveling with them? Something was fishy, but no one dared to say anything. The political situation was tense and on very delicate ground. No one knew how this man was going to behave or act, what kind of orders he’d issue, so everyone stayed on their best behavior.

Ion stepped forwards, holding a sealed envelope containing multiple official documents. “I am Divine Ion of the Order of Lorelei, leader of the Order. I am here as a neutral party to help officiate the peace talks between Kimlasca, Malkuth, and the citizens Eldrant.” he bowed, extending the envelope out to a soldier that took it and delivered it to Van’s hands. Van broke the seal and began to read the documents over carefully. “You will find that we wish for nothing more than peace, and to make this transition into the lower lands easier for everyone.” Ion smiled, a bit anxious as Van continued to read the documents.

Anise wrinkled her nose when he didn't give some sort of response. Normally a ruler would have at least offered a comment, something about wanting that as well or even just explaining that they would see what could be done... but this man was eerily silent, and scrutinized each and every line with his hard gaze. "I don't like this..." she muttered with her hands on her hips

Guy glanced down to her then eyed the guards that lined the walls who seemed just as uncomfortable as they did. Something really didn't seem right here, but what could it be? “Me either, but what can we do?” he whispered, motioning for her to keep quiet lest they offend the man on the throne.

After a few minutes of tense silence, Van stopped shuffling through the papers and turned his attention back towards Ion. “These appear to be in order,” he observed, placing them back into their envelope before handing it off to a guard. “I’d like to hear from the humans’ leaders themselves, however.” he said and Meryl swallowed nervously. Peony, picking up on the new Queen’s discomfort, stepped up to the plate to help ease some of the tension- for which Meryl was exceptionally grateful for.

“Ser Van, I am here on behalf of my people and my empire. Until a few days ago, we hadn’t even known that this land, that your kind existed. With the lowering of the lands, there’s bounds to be mass confusion and conflict.”

“I agree,” Van nodded.

“We simply wish to work together to minimize the chaos and confusion. The last thing we want is to spark an international incident, we just stopped a war between our two nations, we have no desire to start one with yours.”

“Yes,” Meryl nodded, speaking up. “I know that elves are not fond of humans; we pledge to stay out of your territory and to leave your resources-“ Van started to laugh, and this made her very uneasy.

“Stay out of our territory? Leave our resources?” he scoffed, looking down on her with a sneer. Anise pulled Ion back and stood in front of him, dropping down into a defensive stance. “You humans know nothing, and are arrogant and selfish. Eldrant is our territory, and you humans have no business being here. It was mandated by the gods themselves.” he narrowed his gaze.

“Vandesdelca,” Jade cut in harshly, “These peace talks are for her highness, Princess Mystearica, not for you. Where is the princess?”

“She isn’t here.” he snapped his fingers, and the guards that lined the throne room all drew their weapons. “By the ruling of the Seven I hereby declare holy war upon the humans. Your disgusting kind will be wiped from existence as it should be, the gods demand it.” he spat.

“You are making a big mistake!” Jade snapped, summoning forth a spear into his grasp.

“Joor sahlo’zah!4” Van’s voice boomed loudly through the throne room and Jade froze. Faintly glowing glyphs surrounded his feet, the magic keeping him paralyzed. “I’ve already broken the green one, you’re just a matter of time too.”

“W-…what did you do to Sync?!” Jade managed to ask as the glyphs became stronger, forcing him down onto the ground. A sinister roar came from above, and from the rafters dropped down the green dragon. There was a wide, golden collar around his neck that had elven runes etched deeply into it. The dragon snarled, baring his teeth at the humans.

“The reds will soon break too.” Van laughed, getting up from the throne. “Kill them.” he commanded, walking out of the room.

Guy drew his blade, now entirely grateful that he had this standard sword rather than the Jewel of Gardios. He wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if he had to use that blade against another dragon. His eyes flickered to Jade quickly, seeing that he would be no use in this fight. Guy himself was the only one beside Anise with a proper weapon, but she wouldn't leave Ion alone to fight, not like this. He would have to fight on his own and keep the others safe. He had to draw the dragon's attention... 

On swift feet, Guy bolted forward and slid around Sync's side as he shouted, forcing the dragon to follow him since he had now deemed himself the biggest threat. The green dragon lunged, but Guy rolled to avoid the blow, skidding back to his feet to look back at the creature chasing him. He really didn’t want to have to kill him but- he might not have a choice here… He saw an opening and took it, swinging his blade hard to slice into the dragon’s hind leg. Sync roared before he spun around and whacked Guy with his tail, hitting the blond in the abdomen with such force he was flung towards the other side of the room.

“-GUY!” Meryl screamed, the Emperor holding her back from charging into the fray.

Picking himself off the ground, he sprinted forward and just barely dodged being caught in the dragon's mouth, using the pommel of the blade to slam into Sync's cheek. The dragon was quick, very much so, but Guy was quicker and there was far too much on the line for him to screw up now. The next blow was dealt when Sync raked his claws against Guy's side, denting his armor and breaking a few of his ribs. 

He cried out loudly but forced himself to power through, making a wild swing into the dragon’s shoulder, cutting through the hide and deeply into the flesh. As the dragon screeched, Guy pulled out his blade and struck again, a metallic clang sounding off and surprising him. His eyes were drawn to the collar around the base of Sync’s neck- had that been there back at Tataroo? Sync writhed as the collar cracked and Guy, desperate to end this, slammed the pommel into the split only for the metal to break, falling off the green dragon's neck.

Sync let out a pained hiss as he struggled to keep upright, but the battle was ill fought as the creature collapsed to the ground in a semi-conscious heap. His sides heaved, mind fuzzy as strange, elvish magic began to dissipate. The guards, who had been eager to watch the dragon tear the humans limb from limb, poised their weapons.

Anise drew her mace and stuck close to Ion, but that didn't stop her from beating down any elven soldier that dared to lay a finger on her precious Divine. She was actually quite formidable... and terrifying. One would be wise to stay off her bad side. 

Meryl had been whisked off to a corner of the room by Peony where he stood in front of her and drew a dagger he had stashed on his person. Luckily, Guy and Anise seemed to have things covered for the most part, as soon enough all the enemy soldiers were defeated. Peony sheathed his weapon and hurried over to Jade's side, the blue dragon looking quite uncomfortable from the glyphs. "Jade-!"

"I can break through this, you take the others and get out of here."

"That's ridiculous, I'm not leaving you-"

"Yes, you are. I'm of no use to them dead." he urged as shouts in elvish rang down the hallway- more guards were coming. "Get out of here, now!"

“Jade-”

“Guy, escort everyone out of here and find the reds- without them, dealing with the miasma will be _impossible_."

“Don’t die, damnit.” Peony frowned as he and the others fled the throne room.

Guy was the first one out, his sword drawn and ready to strike anyone who dared to get in their way. Luke was in trouble- he had to save him, and nothing was going to stop him! A squadron of guards were coming from the front of the palace, so as to avoid another fight, Guy urged the others to follow him towards the rear. Guards kept popping up left and right, and while it was relatively easy to take care of them, energy and time were becoming precious resources. They were stumbling around blindly, having never spent more than a day or two here at the most, and as much as the elven architecture was beautiful, everything looked the same which did wonders for getting them lost. 

“We’ve been running forever…!” Anise gasped, resting her hands on her knees as she came to a stop. Thankfully there seemed to be a lull in the patrols, or, they had successfully outrun the guards. Either way, all of them were grateful for a rest.

"If you were trying to break a dragon, where would you do it?" Guy thought aloud, clutching a hand to his aching side. What he wouldn’t give for some magic healing right about now.

"Likely somewhere that they couldn't fly away. Below ground, maybe." Ion said softly.

"We need to find stairs leading down then... This'd be so much easier if we knew the damn layout of this place!" Guy said through grit teeth, hands clenching up into fists.

"We'll find them, I'm sure of it." Ion said with a weak smile, trying to keep positive for all their sakes. This did seem rather hopeless... The elven palace was a practical maze of spiraling towers, long hallways, rooms that looked identical to one another- it actually gave the old cathedral in Daath a run for its money. But, the boy knew that they needed hope- hope that they'd find the dragons, hope that they'd find Tear, hope that they could stop this now and get things back under control before the elves march on to human lands and begin genocide!

"I take it that this isn't what Tear had wanted." Peony said, a bit out of breath as they started to jog up a corridor where multiple sets of doors spanned out. 

"No, Tear would have wanted peace and wouldn't have called guards on us, let alone dare to bind a dragon. She reveres them deeply, and got… rather angry at learning I accidentally bound Luke." Guy explained, peering into the first room to see nothing of interest.

“She held a dagger to your throat,” Meryl corrected as she checked the next room.

“Sounds a lot like my ex,” Peony mused which drew a side glance from Meryl.

Room by room they searched, finding that most of them were storage closets, full of old cabinets, barrels, cobwebs and dust. Though one room did have some old weaponry and equipment in it. Most of it was rusted, clearly not the first choice but so far it was their only choice. Peony and Meryl equipped themselves with breastplates while Ion donned some gauntlets. The emperor had his dagger, Ion grabbed a flimsy training sword and Meryl used her ingenuity to craft herself a bow and some crude arrows using the materials in the room.

"I have to say, I'm impressed." Peony said as she slung it over her shoulder.

"I was a desert mercenary." she smirked. "You have to make due with what you have when in a pinch."

“I can appreciate a lady who knows how to get things done-”

"Will you two quit flirting so we can get out of here?" Anise nearly yelled. "We have more important things to worry about!"

Guy scoffed at Anise’s comment before he headed out into the hall again. They needed to find a way down, he thought. A dungeon, a basement, anything that could house dragons that would keep them in place... 

As the knight rounded a corner, a small group of guards spotted them. Guy cursed under his breath and sprung forward with quick steps, his first swing blocked but a firm kick threw the elf aside. After the small group was laid out, Guy noticed a stairwell in the corner of the hall that led downwards. Finally! "This way!" he called, beginning the descent once he was sure everyone was behind him.

"I hope Jade's alright." Meryl said as they made their way down. "He's done a lot to help push this along."

"He's too old and stubborn to let something this stupid get him. He'll be fine!" Anise quipped as she peered back from the stairs to then follow after.

The further down they went, the more light became scarce, and soon it was impossible to see without the aid of a torch. Meryl, having anticipated this, whipped out a dried out wooden beam she had taken from the storage closet and tore a bit of her dress to wrap around the tip of it. She then used a rock against the stone walls of the palace to light a spark. The torch soon caught, and a dim light filled the space.

Finally at the bottom of the stairwell, they stood in a deep, dark dungeon that seemed to span forever. Meryl handed the torch to Guy as he had been in the lead up until this point. "So now where do we-” Ion hushed her.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, but the others shook their heads, looking a bit doubtful. "There it was again, did you hear that?"

"Hear what, Ion?" Anise asked a bit irritably.

"...Follow me." he said, grabbing the torch from Guy as he began to led them away from the stairwell and further into the dungeon.

He took them down a long pathway, occasionally stopping to keep an ear out to ensure that they were heading in the right direction. It wasn't until they were a fair distance closer that the others could start to hear it too. Chanting, as well as very agitated, frustrated growling. Ion snuffed the torch to keep their cover and hurried along as quietly as he could until they reached a thick, metallic door with a small window in it. He peered through, and there they were. Well, one was. A red dragon, he couldn't tell which one in this form, that had been bound in chains from head to tail, placed over a magic glyph. An elven mage, donning heavy, purple robes, was chanting in an ancient tongue steadily.

The dragon wanted to roar, blow fire, fight back, but a broad metal band wrapped around his muzzle and kept it tightly shut. The dragon was powerless to move, unable to do anything as he tried his hardest to resist the magic of the elves.

It was a battle lost, however. Soon the dragon went a bit limp, and when he opened his eyes, his pupils were as thin slit as they could possibly be. "An'tibe shana de'lamore,5" he robed man said, placing a golden collar around the dragon's neck. It was glowing for a brief moment as the ancient runes became etched into it's surface. Ion leaned a bit too far and caused the door to creak, and the dragon's eyes snapped to the door as it started to growl lowly, blowing thick clouds of smoke from it's nostrils. "We have intruders..." the elf said, breaking the dragon's chains. "Take care of them.” and the elf vanished into the shadows.

"All of you,” Guy abruptly spoke up, “go, find the other red. Unless he's still in control of himself, don't engage him."

"But we can't leav-" Meryl started,

"-We'll be a bigger target together. Please!" Guy shoved them off down the hall before he looked back to the dragon in the room. Without a second thought, he bolted in and shut the door behind him for the sake of not letting fire spill into the hall. "I'm going to get you out of this!" Guy called out, scanning the dragon's features as he loomed ever closer. "Asch! Luke! Whomever you are, I'm not letting you stay bound-!" Fire all but tore through the room at the dragon's whim and Guy lunged out of the way, upturning a table that offered little protection.

If he could inhibit him like he did Sync, he could get to that damned collar and free him entirely... His side throbbed painfully from the broken ribs, but he had to force that from his thoughts, looking for anything that would work in helping him incapacitate the dragon. The room was large with a half lit chandelier above them. That could work... He had no more time to think as a claw crushed the table and teeth just barely missed his form as he pushed back to his feet and ran the length of the room. This dragon was far larger than Sync and Guy knew he couldn't block any blows with his blade lest he just be tossed aside like a ragdoll.

Guy grabbed a wooden chair that had been thrown about from the table being crushed and hurled it at the beast's head. It was very ineffective, and all it did was make the dragon even angrier.

The red dragon snarled aggressively, snapping his jaws to try and eat the pesky human but he was just too quick. Sick of the knight getting away from him, the dragon brought down his tail with a mighty slam to block his path, effectively cornering the knight as the tail curled up and blocked off any escape route. The human was trapped, and now, the human was easy prey.

The dragon loomed overhead, mouth open with teeth bared, breath hot and saliva acidic. It hissed, loudly, before snapping the knight up into its jaws. "Let go! I'm trying to help- Let-...!” But there was an audible crunch as a tooth pierced through the knight's breastplate, sinking deeply into the flesh beneath. A second tooth sank into his thigh, tearing through the muscle and snapping the bone as Guy screamed, nearly dropping his sword.

Oh, it was over...

“S-stop this…!” Guy weakly sputtered, tasting blood in his mouth. The dragon however ignored him, and instead, tilted his head back and swallowed the knight whole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Where can I find her highness?  
> 2 Gatekeeper, our ruler should be in the throne room!  
> 3 Ah, I see.  
> 4 Mortal weak finite! [a spell]  
> 5 And you are bound,


	28. Escape

It was hot, boiling, and any skin that touched the viscous liquid began to burn severely. If he waited for too long, he’d dissolve! A drop landed just below his eye, nearly blinding him, and Guy realized in that moment that he had little else he could do. A mental apology sounded before he gripped his sword tightly and shoved the blade down through the dragon’s gut. The dragon let out a deafening shriek of pain and agony as the blade pierced through and tore open his belly. The knight had spilled out onto the stone floor, coated in stomach acids and blood. Heavy steam rose from Guy’s form as he scrambled to secure his grip on his blade and get back up to his feet. His leg was busted, and he was likely bleeding out from the puncture to his abdomen, so it had to end now.

With the dragon writhing and twitching furiously, Guy stumbled forwards the best that he could and slammed the pommel of his blade against the collar three times. It buckled and fell to the floor with a loud clatter. Desperately, he looked up to the dragon, hopeful that this had worked… His vision started to blur, the pain catching up with him, and he collapsed down onto his side.

There was a wave of relief the moment he caught sight of the collar dropping to the ground, but that relief was short lived. This dragon, Luke or Asch, would likely not survive if he couldn’t get immediate attention, and Guy was in no state to go off for help. As the euphoria of a so-called victory waned, Guy was left with the all too painful reality that he was very likely going to die soon as the acid ate as his skin and armor, and his wounds burned with a vigor. He tried to pull himself away but with his broken ribs on one side and his armor pierced through him on the other... It was impossible. Everything _hurt_.

His head fell against the stone as he laid on his side, staring at the red dragon that cried out in pain, bleeding profusely onto the floor. Someone heal him…! Guy hadn't meant to hurt him but…!

Rapid footsteps approached the doorway and the cell door slammed open, the group of humans standing there with the elven princess, looking out at the horrific aftermath of the fight that had taken place. Tear let out a sickened gasp, seeing such a powerful creature suffering so before she hurried over to his side to begin weaving a _very_ powerful healing spell. Meryl and Anise rushed over to Guy, seeing that he too was grievously injured.

“What the hell happened here!?” Anise cried out, seeing the blood, Guy’s condition, and the unconscious dragon with its stomach sliced open.

“Back up, back up-!” Meryl urged, laying Guy down onto a clean spot on the stone. “We have to get this off of him, it’s burning his skin!” She started to tear at her dress, using the scraps to remove what acids she could. When relatively clean, and that was being generous, Meryl combed him over to inspect the severity of the damage. His leg was nearly beyond repair, and his torso… “He needs a doctor, immediately,” she turned to look at Tear, who was singing the fourth verse of her healing hymn with the utmost concentration, almost as if she was in a trance.

The dragon had stopped bleeding, thankfully, and the flesh was starting to knit itself back together. Tear continued her spellwork until the dragon was in a stable enough condition that she could leave him be for a bit to tend to the human. She hurried over to Guy’s side and started to inspect the puncture wound in his torso. “…This is festering thanks to the acids, and the metal has been pushed into his body. If we remove it, he will bleed out.”

“But you can heal him!” Meryl pleaded.

“It’ll take too long for me to cast-“

“We have to try!” Tears spilled over her cheeks, “We are not losing him! Either of them!”

Tear bit her lip and looked down at the semi-conscious blond. “Forgive me,” she said, prying the breastplate off of his torso to immediately slam her palm down onto the open wound as blood began to pour forth. 

The garbled cry that sounded from him echoed in the room and he squirmed instinctively to get away from the pain. Someone had taken hold of his arms, and he wasn't sure for how long he was crying out before his vision dimmed and blackened, blood loss and pain driving him to unconsciousness.

"What are we going to do?! We can't just sit here, we need to get out of here!” Anise moaned, looking around the scene frantically.

"What about the other dragon? If we leave him here, he’ll-" Tear started, but Peony stepped in with a serious look on his face.

"Guy managed to break both Sync and this one out of whatever spell they were under. The other dragon will be fine, eventually. If we don't get out of here and get to safety, we're all dead.” 

“...Fine," Tear relented.

The dragon was dimly aware of voices in the room, shapes and shadows moved about as tired, exhausted green eyes attempted to follow them. The pain in his stomach... it was _unbearable_ , but if he could just change forms… if he could do that... it would be easier to heal…! "Yu...von'Os...ley...1" he managed to say between grit teeth, trying to look around for one person in particular. The humans all looked at the dragon with worry, as Ion hurried over to speak with him.

"Are you alright...?" he asked tentatively, reaching out to rest a hand onto the dragon’s snout. The dragon tried to answer, but the pain was just too much to bear and he slipped into the realms of unconsciousness. Thankfully that forced the transformation, and when the dragon reverted back to human form, they were able to tell that it was Luke that Guy had fought against...

The whole room fell silent for a moment, all of them _hating_ the fact that they had been forced to fight each other like this. Meryl clutched the torn hem of her dress tightly, her fists shaking. “Having to fight against the one he loved… unforgivable. Van will pay dearly for what he’s done.”

“How are we going to get out of here?!” Anise asked again with increasing worry. “The _entire_ guard is looking for us and those two are in _bad_ shape!”

Tear finished up her healing spell, having narrowly saved Guy from certain death. “My half brother is the one that started this, I need to finish it.” She narrowed her eyes.

“No offense, your highness,” Peony stepped forwards, “but your guards turned on you and had you locked up in that weird crystal stuff back there. They won’t be listening to you any time soon. We need to get out, now.”

“Jade was back in the Audience hall, but he wouldn’t be able to fly this many passengers. Is there another way out of the city?” Ion asked, looking to Tear. The elf went into thought for a moment.

“Yes… but you’re not going to like it.”

“What could possibly be worse than where we are now?” Anise asked with slight exasperation.

“The merfolk owe me a personal favor.”

"You said that the merfolk aren't actually all that kind," Meryl said worriedly as she looked to Tear.

"They are not like of your legend, no, but they are still just as thoughtful as any of us are. If we can get out of here, we should be able to beckon their aid." Tear looked thoughtful, trying to come up with an escape route to even get to the sea from here. 

Meryl sighed softly and looked from Guy to Luke then back again. "We need to carry them out and carefully..."

Peony didn't waste any time in lifting the unconscious knight up into his arms. "I can take Gailardia.”

"I can take Luke." Ion said as he moved over to the unconscious dragon.

"Ion! You can't carry him!" Anise said quickly but Ion shook his head.

"You all can fight. Someone needs to carry him and we can't afford to lose any protection we have. Please, Anise, let me help."

"Ooooooooh, fine! But if he gets too heavy, you tell me right away and I'll carry him!" Ion struggled a bit to pick Luke up initially, but with Anise’s help they were able to get the dragon onto his back.

"Lead the way, Tear." Meryl said, drawing her bow and readying an arrow. They wouldn't make it out of here without a fight, she was sure, and she wasn't going to chance them getting caught.

Tear directed them out of the dungeons, back up the staircase and away from what she declared the western wing. Apparently, they needed to head to the eastern wing where there was a passageway out of the cellars that would lead them down towards the ocean.

It was unnerving to work through the halls of the palace with guards ready to kill them at a moment's notice. They were able to make it pretty far without signs of a patrol, and even more luckily, Meryl was an amazing shot when the guards did start to appear. An arrow struck the elven guard straight through the faceplate, and he collapsed to the ground, clearing their way. 

"Damn, that is impressive." Peony said as the queen smiled at him.

"I did have years of practice in Zao." she said, pulling the arrow from the elf's face as they continued on. Tear brought them down a second staircase that spiraled into the dark, the elven princess holding out her hand to conjure forth a small light that would illuminate their path. Down the hall, to the left, there were a set of double doors that opened into the cellar, and from there it was a matter of moving a wine shelf out of the way to reveal a hidden passageway.

"Oh, I don't like the looks of this..." Anise said warily, reaching out to clutch onto Ion's sleeve at the sight of the dark tunnel. The older boy chuckled warmly, giving his guardian a reassuring smile.

"It'll be fine, we're all together after all."

"Not all..." she mumbled, thinking of Asch, Jade, and now Sync as well... she sincerely hoped those three dragons would be alright... but if it was anything like what happened to Luke- the thought made her feel sick.

They walked through the dark passage for quite a while, moving in silence to keep their presence there as hidden as possible. Finally, after what felt like ages, a light could be seen at the end of the tunnel, and they emerged along the shoreline, the castle far behind them overhead on some cliffs. For now, they were safe. Tear hurried over to the water and stepped into the surf, just enough so her feet were wet, before she started to sing an enchanting melody.

Meryl watched with baited breath, looking for any signs of activity in the water, both eager and terrified to finally see the merfolk. When nothing happened, she grew confused, looking to the others in their group before back out to sea only for a strange woman to be standing right in front of her on the sand, looking at her intently. Meryl yelped and jumped back, drawing her bow as the strange woman laughed. 

She was quite beautiful, voluptuous, a pretty face, with the most peculiar pink hair. Her outfit was bits of coral, starfish and shells, but nothing else. In fact for the most part she was very quite naked, and there were patches of scales about her body here and there. Peony hummed in approval and had absolutely no shame in eyeing her rather beautiful form, which did much to draw Meryl’s ire. The queen was already jabbing her elbow into his ribs to get him to behave. Honestly, at a time like this…

"Myhr'sha, valku krisht gah m'yana talbu.2" The woman glanced at Tear over her shoulder, a smirk on her face.

"Noir, no games. I'm calling in my favor." she said as the pink haired woman looked at the group.

"...You have a dragon with you." she observed with a bit of disdain in her voice. "One, two, three.... five, six, seven- You really expect your favor to cover seven land creatures?" she crossed her arms, scoffing. "Three at the most. Everyone else is going to cost you." Tear frowned, she should have anticipated this… Mermaids were especially greedy. She pulled the golden and amethyst necklace off of her neck and dropped it into the mermaid’s webbed hands.

Peony frowned a little, not liking the fact that Tear had to part with her own effects to bargain their escape. “I’ll be sure to repay you for this favor,” he said and Tear smiled weakly at him for a brief moment. 

"...Yes, this'll do nicely.” Noir grinned greedily, licking her teeth. “Alright, follow, and don't fall behind, otherwise my sisters will be more than happy to pick off any stragglers." she said as she extended an arm out to the water and the waves began to part.

It was a bizarre experience, walking directly out into the ocean but having none of the water touch them. The further down they went, the taller the walls of water got around them, and the darker it got.

“Where are we headed?” Anise asked aloud, tagging along behind Ion to make sure the boy kept Luke from dropping down too far.

“An excellent question you should probably ask your precious princess to answer,” Noir replied casually, the water around them beginning to flow back together overhead, sealing them into a giant air pocket. Tear was courteous enough to conjure small lights again, but she kept them dimmer than normal this time, as merfolk had sensitive eyes. The light revealed that they were walking next to a large coral reef, and if one looked hard enough, they could see the other merfolk swimming around their air bubble at a distance, curious. Meryl squeaked and shrank back over towards Peony who could only laugh.

“You’ll be fine, Meryl.” he said and Noir snorted.

“It’s wise for her to be wary. Though a handsome man like yourself…” she trailed off.

“You going to lure me out of this bubble to drown me?” he asked and she laughed.

“No, for someone so handsome I’d have a little fun first.” It was Peony’s turn to laugh.

“Well, I appreciate the compliment-“

“If we’re all done with the unnecessary banter,” Tear cleared her throat, “We’re heading to the Cheagle Woods to the east, where hopefully, they’ll lend aid.”

Noir looked a little surprised. “I can get you to the coast, but from there to the woods you are on your own.” 

“Of course,” Tear nodded.

“…What’s a cheagle?” Anise asked, tilted her head. “And why are we going to a forest instead of a town where we can get these two some much needed medical treatment?”

“Cheagles are among the forest spirits and meant quite a bit to my ancestor, Yulia. They are masters of ancient folk magic and herbalism. Their skills in healing far surpass my own; if Guy’s to ever walk again, he needs their help.”

“Forest spirits?” Meryl asked and Tear nodded.

“Yes. I am loathe to call upon their aid given my people’s history with them, but…”

“History?” Ion looked confused. “Didn’t you just say they were important to Yulia?”

“I made mention that my people used to be nomadic back when we were first in Yulia city. 80,000 years ago, my people shunned our old way of life amongst the forest, and sought a new way for ourselves. We became severed from our nature based roots, and as such, the nature spirits look unfavorably upon us. Though, since a dragon is involved, they will undoubtedly try to help.”

“I sure hope so…” Meryl muttered.

They walked for hours, and Ion had no choice but to pass Luke off to Anise due to serious fatigue. Though she said she was fine with it, there was obvious strain on her features; she may have been strong but she was still just a child. They continued onwards for a little ways, keeping mostly to themselves, but Meryl drifted back to watch Anise who was very obviously struggling to keep Luke supported. 

"Anise," Meryl said, catching the girl's attention. "I don't need to fight anymore, so let me carry him."

"No, I got this." Anise said determinedly, readjusting him on her back as she pushed forwards.

"...Anise, I'm closer to Luke's height and weight, it'll be much easier for me to carry him."

"I already have this!" she asserted, biting her lower lip as she forced herself forwards.

" _Anise_. Luke is practically being dragged along the ground-!" Meryl scoffed, stepping in front of the young girl. "His stomach was sliced open, you jostling around is not good for that fresh wound!" Anise grew angry.

"Fine! Take him then if you want him that badly, sheesh! I was just trying to help!" she turned around, allowing Meryl to carefully extract the redhead from her back and, with the help of Ion, get him onto her own. Luke was a bit heavy, but he was no really no worse than some of the provision packs she used to have to haul in the desert. When Luke was secure, Ion reached out and patted Anise's shoulder.

"I'm sure Luke will appreciate the help when he wakes." he tried to give her a reassuring smile. "I know I appreciate all your help." The young girl had balled her hands into fists and had grabbed the hem of her uniform.

"...Thank you, Ion." she mumbled, before continuing on.

An hour and a half of walking later and they were finally coming up to shore. The waters parted overhead and the humans one by one stepped out onto the beach, grateful to see sky again. When all was said and done, Noir stepped up into the surf and looked them over. "Looks like that favor has been repaid, princess. Next time, it'll cost you a lot more than this." she said, flaunting the necklace in her hand. Tear nodded silently, and Noir looked over at Peony, winked, and then dove into the water, a shimmery, reddish tail appearing before she vanished beneath the waves.

Tear sighed heavily, shaking her head. "...I don't enjoy working with merfolk.” she muttered under her breath. “The forest is to the north east of here. We'll be there in half an hours time. Follow me.”

The cheagle woods weren’t too far off from the beach, thankfully, and it was easy to see just how different a forest was here in Eldrant compared to Auldrant. The trees were _massive_ , with canopy so thick hardly any sunlight managed to get through. 

"It's beautiful..." Ion exclaimed as they walked, finding the place downright mystical. Everything was so lush and vibrant that it made the forests he happened to be used to seem like decrepit fields of sticks and nothing more. "Magic must have helped these trees to grow this well…”

"It is pretty... well, pretty." Peony mused aloud as they strode about, carefully climbing over a few very large tree roots.

“How far are we from these cheagles, Tear?” Anise whined, looking around them- this forest was far too dense for her liking, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching them. Having just hiked this entire journey on foot, with two unconscious party members, they were in no condition to be having any more fights.

“Not far, we’re nearly there.” Tear said, leading them past a few more roots and through a brush. Just a little ways away, a clearing came into view. A gigantic tree- far bigger than all the other trees in the forest- lie at the dead center of the clearing. At its base, a stream surrounded it and flowed through with crystal clear water. 

Tear had Peony and Meryl set the two unconscious members down onto their backs next to the stream, where she used the water to quickly treat any wounds that had occurred or worsened during their travels. After that, she conjured a few apples and placed them on the ground next to the men. She then stood up and backed off, motioning for the others to do so as well. They stood far back, back in the shadows where they were obscured from view, and they all waited with anticipation to see just what these cheagles really were.

A tiny creature with yellow fur and gigantic ears popped out from one of the bushes, and scurried over to the two men. It sniffed them, examined them, then took a look at the apples that had been left out. The creature started to squeak loudly in a shrill voice, and soon others just like it, all in different colours, poured out into the open, and they surrounded the two men.

Meryl blinked, watching this display. “…Those… are cheagles?” she whispered as Tear nodded.

“Yes, now be quiet,” she urged, turning her attention back to the nature spirits. The apples were hauled off into the tree trunk by one of the cheagles while the others began to work their armor and clothes off, some of them running off to fetch fresh herbs from the forest to make medicine. Peony had a hard time keeping himself from snickering.

“This is fantastic!” he whispered as Meryl elbowed him in the side.

An older looking cheagle came out of the tree and started to inspect them one at a time. It began to select handfuls of herbs to be crushed together to form a medicinal salve. The cheagles applied it to Luke’s abdomen first, and the scarred skin began to soothe and heal. Guy was a different problem, as acid wounds were harder to treat.

Layers of herbs were applied; salves administered, and forest cotton placed to act as bandages; the cheagles moved to encircled them and linked paws. They then began to chant in their little cheagle language and Peony was in hysterics. Both Tear and Natalia had to try and cover his mouth to keep him from making too much noise.

“I want twenty of them!” he whispered through the soft laughs as both women shushed him.

Ion stared in awe of the small creatures that seemed to know exactly what to do to tend to each specific injury. They were astounding and far more intelligent than anything that resided on the Auldrant before this. "They're so smart." he whispered so softly that not even Anise really heard him. The girl peeked over the shrubs they hid behind and watched them with that same sort of awe.

"Not even Tear could do that..." The elven princess had made it clear that they were masters, after all. These little balls of fluff were healers so skilled that not even an elven princess could compare...

When the cheagles seemed finished, Meryl leaned in closer to Tear so that she could keep her voice low. "What do we do now?" She expected that they should go out and check on their friends but she didn't want to do something to disrespect the cheagles themselves. Peony was still grinning from ear to ear, contemplating how he could keep one in the palace.

“We wait,” Tear said, watching them intently- so the others did the same. The cheagles started to disperse a few at a time until the clearing was entirely empty. When the coast was clear, she motioned for them to step out so they could go and check on their friends. The scar on Luke’s abdomen looked like it had healed years ago, and Guy’s torso looked considerably better. His, although no longer broken, still needed to be treated with care for the time being. 

“How did you know how to get their help?” Meryl asked as Tear sighed.

“The food offerings. It’s an old elvish children’s tale of how to befriend and get the cheagle’s aid. They love fruit, especially apples. If you leave some out and they accept it, they will help you-“

Luke’s eyes snapped open and he jerked upright, panting heavily as if this were the first time he had taken a breath in years. The sudden jerk had startled everyone, but no one was more afraid than Luke as he looked around to see himself in an unfamiliar setting. “Luke, Luke!” Tear said in a soothing voice, placing a hand onto the dragon’s shoulder. He glanced over to her and calmed down a little, though he still looked quite alarmed. “It’s okay… you’re okay, you’re safe…” she cupped his face so he was looking only at her. “We are in the Cheagle Woods.” the princess stated slowly so the dragon’s dazed mind could understand her. “Do you remember anything?” she asked.

Luke had looked alarmed, but then he looked puzzled as he tried to rack through his brain to recalled what had happened. They made it to Yulia city, Jade had declared he go to bed… everything else after that was a blank. He mutely shook his head, and Tear wasn’t sure if that was a blessing or a curse.

“W-…what happened…?” Luke asked, looking around until his eyes landed on large scar on his abdomen. He very carefully traced it with his finger, silently questioning where the hell that had come from when the unconscious body next to him pulled his attention away. Guy looked… he looked awful! His chest was bandaged up, his leg was in a huge, makeshift splint…! “What _happened_?!” Luke was becoming frantic. The group shifted about uncomfortably, unsure of how to answer him.

“We… we came back to Yulia city, and Tear’s brother declared war on us humans,” Ion stepped forwards. “He had enslaved you, and Asch, and Sync, using some form of elvish magic.” 

“E-enslaved…?” Luke’s heart started to race as a cold sweat gripped at him.

“I don’t know how he did it.” Tear cursed under her breath.

“You were like a mindless animal, it was crazy!” Anise shook her head. “We didn’t see the fight, but Guy stayed behind to try and snap you out of it.” Luke slowly glanced back over to the blond, feeling his chest tighten and his stomach _ache_.

“I-I… did that…?” His voice wavered; panic was setting in.

“You… we came back after the fight was over, it was a mess… You… you had eaten him.” Luke brought a hand up to his mouth as Meryl spoke. “He had cut you open to escape-“ He quickly pulled himself over to the stream and started to retch, shoulders heaving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Golden Flower  
> 2 Princess, how wonderful for you to call me.


	29. Acceptance and Forgiveness

Meryl frowned when Luke scrambled over to the stream and threw up the contents of his stomach. She bitterly thanked the stars that it wasn't any of Guy that was coming up.. . Oh, how horrific that would have been…

Ion stepped closer towards Luke with a concerned look on his face, “I know that you’re upset, Luke, but you weren’t in your right mind. Guy knew that, and that was why he did everything he could to break you free. You’re both alive right now, and that’s all we can ask for-“ he moved in to place a hand on his shoulder but Luke flinched.

“ _Don’t touch me!_ ” Luke shouted, tearing his body away from Ion with wide, fearful eyes. Ion stumbled backwards, stunned from such an explosive reaction.

“L-Luke…?” he asked softly, trying to reach his hand out towards him but Luke took a step back, shaking his head.

“J-just don’t touch me…!” he was trembling violently. Everyone was looking at him with concern and worry now, but he continued to shrink back away from them until he made a dash for the woods, disappearing into the thick trees.

“Somebody stop him!” Anise cried out.

“No,” Tear shook her head. “He needs to be alone right now.”

“Is it really wise to let him go off like that? He was just at death’s door-“ Meryl pondered but Tear shook her head again.

“He’s fine, physically. Mentally… Whatever spell that Van had him under enslaved him completely. It was nothing like the binding that Luke had been under with Guy…. I’ve never seen anything like that before. Luke is justifiably scared.”

“How are we going to tell him that his brother and the others were left behind…?” Meryl asked, bowing her head as the group fell into an uncomfortable silence.

“Sooner or later, we’re going to have to…” Ion muttered.

 

Luke stumbled blindly through the forest, desperate to get away from them and their suffocating concern. He didn't know where to go, what to do, but he just had to put some _distance_ between them. Eventually he came into another clearing a bit further away, the stream flowing through here as well. Luke sat on the embankment, pulling his knees up to his chest as he stared at the rushing water, trying to find some form of solace or comfort in the tranquility the forest had to offer. There was none to be found for him, though. He drew in a deeply stuttered breath as hot tears formed in his eyes and he started to cry, burying his face into his hands.

He had nearly _killed_ Guy! He had been completely _used_ and _manipulated_ against his will and he hadn’t even been _aware_ of it! Luke felt so sick as Meryl’s words echoed through his mind. He had eaten him… he had _eaten_ him! It didn’t matter if he had been under a spell or not, he still damn near _killed_ him!

How could any of them even stand to look at him after what happened? Or try to help him?! He had become their biggest threat and now… Why weren’t any of them afraid of him!? Of what he could do?! 

He was a monster…!

Luke had been so distraught he failed to notice the rustling of the bushes behind him until a soft sensation along his forearm jarred him from his dark thoughts. He looked down, nose running and eyes red to see a small, blue cheagle that was mewling at him sweetly. Luke wanted to laugh bitterly; a cheagle of all things was worried about him. He picked the creature up and cradled it to his chest as he continued to weep.

 

The group tried to talk things out with Luke’s absence, failing to come up with any sort of plan for what they needed to do next. They couldn’t leave Vandesdelca in power, but going back to Yulia City right now would be suicide... Luke was too in danger of being used again and Guy was incapable of fighting due to his injuries. Sure, Meryl, Anise, and Tear could give the soldiers hell and Peony probably could if he had to, but it wasn’t enough for what they needed to do.

“Do you think Jade’s okay, at least?” Meryl asked after another round of useless ideas sounded off. 

“If there’s one dragon that can make it out of there on his own, it’d be him,” Peony said as he crossed his arms. “He’s put up with me long enough anyways, and I think I’m a damn good test of endurance.”

“Is that a sex joke?” Anise looked a bit disgusted and Peony chuckled, shaking his head.

“Oh,”Meryl perked up for a moment, “I meant to ask you how the peace talks went when Tear and Ion were there…. And also, forgive my asking, but what _is_ your relationship to Jade, anyways? He’s very protective of you.” Peony laughed.

“Firstly, the peace talks went just fine,” he grinned, resting his hands on his hips. “You have no idea how happy I was to hear that you had been crowned Queen.” Meryl blushed profusely.

“R-really…?”

“Well, yeah, because I’ve met you before and know you’re level headed and willing to listen to reason. Reading the official document was just a formality. We accepted the peace treaty without a second thought.” Meryl let out a heavy sigh of relief.

“That’s so great to hear… Now if we can just avoid war with the elves…”

“Speaking of, when Jade undid Tear’s illusion, we were all pretty shocked. Not many people in court wanted to believe that we lived over another world full of magic. I wanted to see it; guess you really should be careful what you wish for. As for Jade,” he hummed, “We’ve been good friends for a number of years. I met him just after my coronation. Jade likes to pretend he’s an excellent actor but he forgot one major detail that was a dead giveaway to his real identity.”

Meryl looked quite surprised. “You knew what he was the whole time?”

“Well, not the entire time. It took me a couple of years and I had to confront him on it: he never aged a day. I’ve known him for twenty years and he still looks as young now as he did back then. It took months of me prying to get it out of him. When I learned the truth, it was an amazing rush! To think that there was still a real live dragon around, and it was there since I was sixteen. Though why he decided to play human and enlist in the Malkuth military is beyond me. That’s the one thing he hasn’t told me after all these years, and he doesn’t plan to.”

“So you and Jade are just good friends?” Anise asked and Peony nodded. “Huh, when Luke and Guy said that, I didn’t believe them for one second but with you, I do.”

“Jade’s fun, but he’s not at all my type. Besides, while he might be interested in playing human, he has shown no interest in establishing any romantic ties to anyone-“ the sound of distant crying filled the air and everyone’s moment of lightheartedness vanished completely.

“Poor Luke…” Ion mumbled softly, and everyone nodded in agreement. This was going to be a difficult rough patch to get over… A groan from Guy sounded and everyone’s attention snapped to him immediately. His eyes flickered open and he blearily looked about, trying to gather his bearings.

“Guy!” Meryl ran over towards his side, but quickly backed up upon realizing she was probably too close. “You’re alright now. You’re patched up and on the way to healing.”

He looked around slowly as if searching for something only to look back to Meryl. “Who was it…? The dragon? Asch or-“

“Luke.” Peony said as he stepped up behind Meryl. Guy’s face fell instantly. “He’s all stitched up, don’t worry.” Guy let out a shaky breath at that before shutting his eyes, feeling his own injuries. His leg was still dreadfully sore...

"Stay there for now. You need to rest and we can't go anywhere until we figure out what to do anyway." Meryl said quietly, sitting back on the grass.

“Where is he?” Guy tried to look around.

“Luke ran off into the forest after learning about what happened. We could hear him crying just a bit ago, so he’s still close.” Anise supplied. 

"I hope he... comes back." Guy would forgive him as many times as it took to ease his guilt even a little, and he was glad to see not a one of them harbored any animosity toward their resident red dragon.

“....I got it,” Anise crossed her arms.

“Got what?” Meryl asked.

“Right now, Van’s the biggest threat. By starting this war, that means the miasma’s going to surge again.”

"But the gates are no longer an issue..." Tear said a little hesitantly as Anise shook her head.

"You heard what the miasma did to Sync and the valley, right? If that stuff gets into the cities, everyone'll die if the elves don't kill them first! We need to rally the armies of Kimlasca and Malkuth to fight against Van's control and put Tear back onto the throne. If we can do that, the fighting will stop and we can work to achieve peace again!"

"But wouldn't fighting openly with the elves make the miasma worse?" Ion countered. "Besides, people will learn to hate the elves, and that's not what we want-"

"Yeah, but we don't want the whole world to die, either. We need to do what needs to be done, and it won't always be pretty! So everyone suck it up, let's get some rest, and then let's get out of here." She said, standing up. "Meryl, you still have your bow, right? You and me will go out hunting for food. Tear, you stay here and keep an eye on Guy and Luke. Peony, Ion, keep Guy company." she ordered as Peony saluted her.

"Yes ma'am!" he said and Anise beamed proudly

Ion pushed up and moved to the creek where he filled a small waterskin he'd taken from Anise. He brought it back to Guy who accepted it and drank eagerly, grateful to have his thirst quenched. 

“-Be careful,” Guy choked out after Anise gave her orders. Hunting in a forest as thick as this was dangerous; they didn’t know where elves could be stationed or hidden.

“You should stop talking,” Peony said sternly. “You’re beat to hell, even with all of the cheagle magic.”

“…Cheagle?” Guy blinked.

“Nature spirits. Real cute. I’m thinking of decorating the entire eastern wing with foliage so they could come and live there. Vines on the walls, moss for beds, the works!” 

“You’re… really something, your Majesty…” Guy chuckled weakly.

 

Luke stayed over by the stream for a long while, brooding. Dark thoughts plagued his mind, making it difficult to focus on anything else. He had been vaguely aware of a fire that the humans had built back at their makeshift campsite, smelling the smoke, but soon the smells of roasted meat filled the air and-

He brought a hand up to his mouth and dry heaved, breathing heavily... the thought of eating right now was so repulsive…! The cheagle in his arms looked up at him and squeaked softly, voicing some concern. Luke looked down at the small beast and smiled sadly. “I know… I know, but I don’t know if I can face them just yet…” That wasn’t a satisfactory answer for the blue cheagle and it started to mewl at him incessantly. “Alright- alright. I’ll go, I’ll go. Just, stop making so much noise already…” he muttered irritatedly, standing up to brush himself off. 

 

It was about halfway through the meal when Luke stepped back up to the camp with the small blue cheagle in his arms. He had secretly been hoping that Guy would still be asleep but, but no such luck. One look at the knight’s face and his veins iced over. Snippets of their fight played in his mind and he could feel the anger and rage so vividly it was almost as if it was bubbling back up in the back of his mind. He forced himself to look away and moved swiftly to the opposite side of the camp, sitting against some tree roots. Guy sighed softly as he watched this, but said nothing, understanding that Luke needed time to sort this out.

"Where'd you get that cheagle?" Tear asked Luke, absolutely bewildered that one would willingly allow itself to be picked up and carried around like that.

"It just walked up to me back at the other clearing... It's name is Mieu.” he said tiredly and Peony snorted.

"That is adorable. Can it tell it's friends that I want them to come live at the palace with me?" He asked and Meryl gave him a playful shove. The cheagle popped out of Luke's grasp and scurried up his arm onto his shoulder, using that as a perch. It then started to mew rather aggressively at them.

"...It's asking what we're doing here on their lands. They already provided aid, we’re not allowed to stay here." Luke translated.

"You... can speak to them?" Tear blinked, stunned.

"Dragons know every single language…” he shrugged. Ion went to fix Luke a serving of the meat but one look at it made his stomach _hurt_. He scooted back a bit and shook his head, looking far from appetized, which was very worrying. Normally Luke would snarf down as much as he could.

"Luke, are you-" Ion was about to ask but Luke held a hand up.

"I can barely keep down water…” Ion withdrew, a bit more understandingly, though he still held reservations about Luke's behavior. Meryl in turn gave Guy a roasted rabbit leg and the man picked at it quietly, not feeling all that particularly hungry himself. 

Everyone was quite interested in the cheagle that had made itself at home with Luke, the humans somewhat crowding around, much to Luke’s discomfort. "Did you tell it that we needed their help and that we'll leave as soon as we can?" Tear asked and looked at the little creature. It was pretty cute and it wasn't at all intimidating, despite the aggressive squeaking and mewling.

"Mieu, mu praag wah wahl brah'do hin himdah,1" Luke started. The cheagle began to squeak a bit rapidly after that, before jumping off of him and scurrying away into the large tree trunk. Luke sighed a little heavily, not willing to openly admit it but that little creature had been pleasant company. Very soft, and warm to the touch, quite soothing to have around to help ease shot nerves. He turned his attention back to the group, wishing they would just back up. "He said we need to speak with their elder in order to make use of these lands."

"Yes but, how can we do that if all the cheagles are hiding?" Meryl asked, setting her food down. Just then, a flood of cheagles spilled out from the tree and surrounded them in a large circle, all of them mewing at once in a loud cacophony. Peony was ecstatic, Tear alongside with him, never having seen this many cheagles before in one place before.

“So cute…!” Tear gasped softly, holding a hand up to her face. 

The cheagles were so numerous and since Guy had been asleep the first time they had appeared, he was absolutely baffled by them. They were in a variety of pastel colors and a few with some markings but overall, they looked much like one another. Rather cute, he thought, and was surprised to know that they had been the ones who had healed them. From the tree emerged the elder looking one, the one with purple fur, and it steadily approached them, clutching onto a large, golden bangle that had elvish runes etched into it.

"Is it true that you are of relation to Yulia Jue?" it spoke, and all of the humans gasped. Tear stood up and nodded.

"Yes, elder one. Yulia was my ancestor, I am her direct descendant. We didn't mean to encroach on your lands unwelco-"

"Do you know of the promise that she made to us?"

"Yes... but we are desperate, our companions were badly injured and we’re unable to travel, and everyone here needs rest." she pleaded with the elder. The purple furred cheagle went into thought for a moment before the blue cheagle that had been with Luke popped out of the crowd and went up to elder, mewing softly at it. The elder nodded, before turning to Luke.

"A dragon is in our midst." the cheagles then hushed and backed up a little, hissing, their fur standing on edge. That surprised Tear greatly- she had been sure that the cheagles revered the dragons like the elves did. "You are not here to hurt us?" 

Luke snorted. "You stitched my stomach back together. No, I'm not here to hurt you. We just need to rest for the night." the small blue cheagle began to squeak again.

"This one has declared you his patient and would like to accompany you." Luke blinked, looking down at the blue cheagle.

"...What do you mean I'm his ‘patient’?"

"He wishes to go with you and ensure that you're alright." Peony's eyes lit up. The cheagle elder handed the younger cheagle the golden bangle.

"My name is Mieu!" it squeaked, and Luke's eye twitched. It was fine when it was speaking its language, but in the common tongue, this was just annoying. "I want to come with you! You and that one," he pointed to Guy, "were both seriously banged up. I need to make sure that you both heal up one hundred percent! It’s my job as an apprentice herbalist!" Luke sat there, speechless. "Will you allow me to come with?"

"Of course we will!" Peony said with glee, Meryl having to literally hold onto his clothes to keep him from diving down to scoop the cheagle up into his arms.

"I'd like to thank you, all of you, for your help with our friends." Ion smiled and crouched down so that he was on a more personal level with the cheagles themselves. "And we welcome you to our group, Mieu. It'll be an honor to have you with us." Ion was always the considerate and diplomatic one. He turned toward the elder who seemed at least able to understand the common tongue even without the ring. "We'll take good care of Mieu while he's taking care of us.” The cheagles seemed to be quite pleased by his manners, and, satisfied, they retreated back into the tree.

"Why don't you come sit over with me-" Peony wriggled his fingers slightly and Meryl only tightened her grip on the back of his shirt.

"I think he's fine with Luke.” she said sternly.

The little cheagle in question began to head back over to Luke, but when the light glinted off of that golden elvish band that the cheagle carried, Luke's eyes widened as he flashed back vividly to his time spent in captivity- to that hooded elven man and his magic, to that collar that made him lose all control of himself. In a state of panic he scrambled backwards, using his magic over fire to ignite the ground and put a physical barrier between himself and the elvish band. The cheagle squeaked and jumped back, Ion bending down to pick him up as Anise began to stomp on the flames to put it out.

"Luke! What is your problem!?" Anise turned to yell at him, but she saw the horror on his face. Any colour had drained away, his eyes were darting back and forth rapidly, he looked like he was about to be sick. "L-Luke...?"

"Hi fen ni kuz zey, hi fen ni kuz zey, hi fen ni kuz zey....2" he repeated rapidly to himself, a cold sweat clinging to him as his heart beat far too rapidly.

"What's wrong with him?" Meryl stood up, looking quite alarmed.

"It's a panic attack, everyone give him space." Peony said, standing up to pull Anise and Ion back. The dragon was trembling, his words becoming slurred and incoherent as his vision started to dim. He lost consciousness and collapsed.

“Luke!” Guy tried to sit upright but the where he had been bitten in his torso ached too severely, limiting his movement.

"Should we move him closer to the fire?” Ion asked softly, looking at the unconscious dragon.

"And chance him attacking you if moving wakes him up? No way! Let him lay there. When he wakes up, he can move himself.” Anise said a bit harshly. Guy winced at that, but she had a point. Luke was far too erratic right now and could end up injuring someone… Guy frowned and let out a slow breath as he slumped a little, loathing that he could do nothing to ease Luke's misery.

"We should try and get some sleep," Meryl said after a long silence before she turned her attention to Guy. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm okay.” he looked to them before he settled in against his tree trunk.

"What would be the best place to go to from here?" Ion thought aloud, trying to imagine where they were.

“Yeah, where are we exactly? I wish we had a map or something… though with the lands lowered, it’s not like any maps are correct anymore, anyways.” Anise huffed, resting her hands onto her hips. “We went east for a while…” she looked around them, seeing nothing but trees surrounding them from all sides.

“We went north east, which means that we’re closer to Grand Chokmah.” Peony stated, settling back down in his spot by the fire next to Meryl and Tear. “It should be north west of here, judging by the position of the stars.”

“Whoa! You can navigate using the stars?” Anise asked as Peony grinned.

“That’s basic survival skills right there.” he beamed a bit proudly. “We head back there, we can get real food, armor, and the strength of the malkuth military. Anise had a sound plan and I am in full agreement. With Malkuth and Kimlasca’s combined forces, we’ll put Tear back on the throne in no time.”

Meryl nodded. “I hope that we can accomplish this quickly… Luke won’t be able to fly us, he’s in no condition to, and we have too many people,” she looked over at the unconscious dragon with worry, seeing the blue cheagle prodding at him. “…What in the world caused that, anyways?”

“If I were to make an educated guess, the golden band.” Ion piped up. “It looks similar to the collar that enslaved him, doesn’t it?”

“You’re right, it does…” Meryl gasped. “…You don’t think it has the same kind of magic, does it?” Tear shook her head.

“The runes are completely different. Mieu,” she called out, beckoning the cheagle over towards her, “It might be for the best to avoid having that bangle with you if you want to go near him.”

“But-!” he squeaked as Tear picked him up gently.

“I know, but some very traumatic things happened to him, and he needs some time to readjust… so, why don’t you go check on Guy for the time being, see how his leg is doing?” she suggested, setting the small creature back down onto the ground.

Mieu's want to help Luke was sweet but Guy was quite grateful when the small healer came over to him and sat beside his thigh. "Thank you." The blond smiled and Mieu returned the expression before very carefully working to unwrap Guy's leg, tenderly touching the injury itself. He seemed thoughtful before he sprung off into the shrubs and return a few moments later with herbs that he was already working between his paws.

"This should help make it heal faster and take away a lot of the pain. Just don't move it, okay?" Mieu said as he delicately worked the crushed herbs over the injury, always being mindful of where to touch. Satisfied, he began to check on his chest which was practically back to normal sans the scar. "You should be okay soon!"

"Thanks, Mieu. I'm grateful." Guy reached up and ruffled the cheagle's fur to which he chirped happily. Mieu leaned into the hand for a few moments before moving back toward the fire with the others. Peony reached for him but Meryl picked him up first, petting him softly. Guy chuckled and shut his eyes, still horribly fatigued from all that had happened. Within moments he was off to sleep.

 

Luke awoke several hours later, when it was fully dark out and the fire was close to smoldering embers. He groaned, pulling himself upright to look around, dazed and confused… Right, he had passed out… Rem, how embarrassing… To be so openly weak and afraid like that in front of the humans... He stood, stretching himself a little bit, before heading back over towards the camp to see that everyone had settled down for the night, much to his relief. He didn’t really have the courage to face everyone after what had happened.

He looked down at Guy, seeing the young man fast asleep against the tree roots. His leg looked much better than it had earlier, and the cheagle was asleep on his abdomen. Those fluffy little creatures were _impressive_ when it came to the healing artes, damn near put the elves to shame. Luke shuffled over to Guy’s side quietly and took a seat next to him, looking at his peaceful, sleeping face. Pain grasped at his heart… he could remember it all. How badly he wanted to _kill_ him, the anger, the horrible, uncontrollable rage that had clouded his mind and drove him to such animalistic, primal behavior. Guy’s screams echoed in his head and he bit his lip, burying his face into his hands.

“…I’m sorry,” he shook his head, shaking. “I’m sorry, Guy. I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to hurt you, I’m sorry… _I’m so sorry_ …” he whimpered, rubbing at his eyes.

Guy was awakened by the noise. He looked around with a vague and blurry gaze, a bit dazed, wondering if the voice had been just a dream.. It wasn't until he realized that voice was real that he turned his head and stared at him for a moment only to bring up a hand that he promptly drew back as to not startle or upset him. "Luke..." He murmured, moving to sit up a little more despite the ache in his chest. "I'm okay. You're okay. We're okay." he said quietly, offering a tired smile.

Luke hadn’t expected for Guy to wake up, and at first he was startled by the movement and the voice, he wanted to run… but he knew that just wasn’t fair, and that he needed to speak with Guy about this. Thankfully, at least the others were asleep. It made this whole thing somewhat easier… His muscles started to relax at the sound of Guy’s voice, and he slowly nodded, rubbing at his eyes. “Y-yeah… we’re okay…” he continued to nod his head. “…alive, and okay… I-I…” his voice quivered, and he found it so painfully difficult to get his words out, “…How do you… not hate me, for what I did to you? Why aren’t you afraid of me? I’m a threat, to you and everyone else here so long as those elves have that magic- I could kill all of you!” he grabbed at his hair, shutting his eyes tightly as he continued to tremble.

"If I had no control over my actions and turned on you, would you hate me?" He asked quietly and looked at Luke with a gentle expression. "Sure, you attacked me, but it wasn't _you_ attacking me at all. You've never hurt me, Luke- save for those punches when we first met- and I know that if you'd been in your right mind, you wouldn’t have done what was done." He began to pet Mieu to busy his hands despite so desperately wanting to reach out and pull Luke against him. The dragon was clearly still so upset that Guy feared pushing him would drive him away.

Luke grit his teeth. This wasn’t fair. It would just be so much easier if Guy would say that he hated him and never wanted to see him again... But the man was just too forgiving, his heart too big, and that’s what made it painful. Because despite knowing the risks, Guy didn’t care, he loved Luke wholeheartedly, dragon or not, and he would likely keep loving him until his time on this world was up. He was so beautifully human. Luke wiped at his eyes, now shaking his head. “I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to wake you up. You should be resting… not listening to me complaining.” he moved to stand back up.

Guy frowned. "No, no, it's okay." He offered a smile and reached out again but didn't touch Luke, simply an offer for contact and company should he want it. "Even though I don't think I should have to because it's not your fault, I forgive you.” He smiled and pushed his hand out just a bit closer to him. "So stay? I think we both might need it.”

Luke looked at the hand extended outwards towards him, and he hesitated. He wanted to reach out and accept it, to accept what Guy had been saying and be able to just push this ugliness aside to move on… But there was a small part of him, this insidious, dark piece of him that clung to the back of his mind and continued to whisper horrible things: how much of a failure he was, how he wouldn’t be able to protect anyone, how it will be his fault Guy dies later on… It was so incredibly hard to be able to look at that sweet, innocent face with every negative voice screeching at him in his mind. His hand trembled, and it took every ounce of courage in his being to just accept it.

He took that hand, and the moment skin came into contact with skin those negative voices silenced. Warmth overtook him, and he felt like he was at peace, finally. The way Guy smiled at him, beckoning for him to come closer, to embrace- 

Luke started to cough, shallow at first but it got deeper, and louder. There was something in his lungs that he hadn’t been aware of until now, and it was _hurting_. He had to get it out. The noise disturbed a few of the lighter sleepers in the group, and they got up to see Luke coughing so hard he was nearly choking until finally, Luke coughed up a fair amount of miasma into his hands…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Mieu, we need to borrow these lands,  
> 2 You will not take me, you will not take me, you will not take me...


	30. Missing

A heavy silence hung in the air throughout the camp as Luke stared down at the disgusting, thick sludge that coated his hands. How…? How had even more miasma gotten inside of him…? He could vividly remember back when the elves trying to break him, and not one of them had even come near him with the Jewel of Gardios, so how…? He winced as the miasma started to burn his skin and he quickly got up, heading over to the stream to wash the mess away.

“Are you alright?” Guy asked with worry, trying to console Mieu who, upon seeing the miama, puffed up and started hissing like a wild animal. “That looked like a lot compared to when you were bound to me.”

“Yes, how do you feel?” Ion hurried over, voicing his concern.

Luke held his hands in the stream for a few moments, letting the cold water soothe the irritated skin. “I feel… better. I feel so much better.”

“The miasma must have been what was actually controlling you back at Yulia city.” Meryl spoke up as she approached them. “But then, what was that collar for?”

“Maybe it amplified the effects of the miasma?” Guy pondered aloud, though at this point he was purely speculating. The rules of magic generally tended to fly over his head. Surely they’d figure out the answer once they confront Van.

“Is the miasma why you were so upset earlier?” Ion asked, looking to Luke. “You had a horrible panic attack earlier, I’ve never seen you look so terrified before.”

Luke nodded slowly, “The miasma… insidious is an understatement. It makes you weak and vulnerable in order to control you. To do that, it plays off of your emotions, clouding your judgement… I was already upset when I learned about what happened, and the miasma latched onto that.” He crossed his arms and leaned back against the tree roots, “And the elves found a way to manipulate it… This is bad.” he muttered bitterly. Van being able to control miasma… none of this bode well for any of them, and what was worse, was that Luke was completely susceptible to it. So long as they had that power, he could be reinfected, driven back to blind rage and enslavement.

“But you _are_ feeling better, right?” Meryl asked just for confirmation. When Luke nodded, she let out a relieved sigh. “Good. We can worry about things in the morning. It’s late, and you and Guy both need your rest.”

“Yes, your majesty,” Luke rolled his eyes as he scooted closer towards Guy and found a comfortable spot snuggled right up against his side. Guy laid a soft kiss to Luke's head once he finally settled in against him, and he shifted a bit to rest his cheek in that mess of red hair. Luke smiled warmly and closed his eyes, relaxing completely in what felt like eons.

Even though it wasn’t necessary because he hadn’t been in control of himself, Guy had forgiven him for what happened. And with that forgiveness, the both of them were able to accept what happened and could finally work to move on.

_Undine Redecan, Lunaday 18 N.D. 2018_

It was roughly two hours before sunrise when the rather loud (and obnoxiously cheerful) voice of Peony woke them from their slumber. “Rise and shine, up and att’em! We can get some more sleep when we’re back safely in the capital, so come on and let’s get a move on!” he clapped his hands.

“…Your Majesty,” Guy groaned, scrubbing his face with a hand.

“Oh come now, Gailardia. We’ve got things to do, places to be, an elven princess to put back on the throne-“ Still, it seemed nobody wanted to be up and the noise Anise made was proof of that. Luke joined her in the unamused chorus of displeased groans. Peony only laughed, looking at the redhead who rolled further into Guy’s side to avoid having to get up. “Luke, the faster we get moving, the faster you two can share a regular bed in private again.” he grinned.

Luke replied by lifting up his hand to give the Emperor quite the obscene gesture.

“-LUKE!” Meryl gasped in horror at the dragon’s severe lack of respect. “E-Emperor Peony, I am so sorry for-“

“Someone does not want to wake up,” Peony snickered as Luke firmly pressed his face into Guy’s chest. Meryl let out small sigh- honestly, why does she even keep trying anymore? Nothing seemed to offend the Emperor.

“Shut up, you stupid human, and wait until sunrise _at least_!” Luke hissed.

“Don’t be like that, Luke. In all seriousness, we need to make use of the darkness while we can. It’s likely to be a long while out on open road from here to Theor forest. Traveling in broad daylight isn’t the wisest course of action for us right now.” 

Luke, begrudgingly, pulled himself off of Guy with the biggest of frowns on his face. “Alright, fine, I’m up…” 

“But not _actually_ awake.” Peony pointed out and Luke growled.

Slowly but surely each of them woke up and began to pack their things, making sure to fully clean up their mess to preserve the cheagle’s land, just as the elder had requested. Thankfully Tear could conjure those little balls of light, otherwise it would have been quite difficult to see anything. When it came time to actually leaving, the issue of Guy’s leg came up. He was still unable to walk, and wouldn’t be able to make the journey without help. Everyone was pretty loaded up with their gear and supplies, so carrying Guy was going to be a bit of an issue.

Luke volunteered to transform and carry him along with a good portion of their equipment just in case the others needed to fight. There was a minor bit of protest, considering that their goal was to hide and that having a dragon stomping around wouldn’t be the most inconspicuous of things, but the reality came down to them needing to move an injured party member and a large amount of equipment over a very long distance. But, with Tear’s assurance that they were far enough away from Yulia city that the risk of elves being around them was minimal, the rest of the group agreed. Time was of the essence here, and whatever could make this trip shorter and easier, the better.

Even though the miasma had been purged from his body, Luke still felt just the tiniest bit uncomfortable like this while around everyone else. Glancing downwards at himself when Tear was near with her light, he saw the giant scar that ran alongside his underbelly… a permanent reminder of what had happened. The cheagle clutched onto Guy, who in turn was clutching onto Luke for stability while they moved. Riding on a dragon while they were flying was pretty steady… when they were walking however, not so much. Their movements were jerky, exaggerated, and arching.

“Luke, try to keep Guy a bit steadier,” Tear said and Luke huffed.

“Oh sure, allow me to rearrange my entire skeletal structure,” he muttered sarcastically and Peony snorted, trying to stifle a laugh. Ah, if only Jade had been here to hear that.

“It’s fine, Tear. My leg’s feeling a lot better thanks to Mieu’s careful first aid,” Guy smiled down at the cheagle in his lap, gently scratching him behind the ears. “So long as you don’t start running, I should be okay, Luke.”

“I’m going to miss the cheagles,” Ion said softly as they walked towards the edge of the woods.

“I’m going to miss the cheagles more,” Peony sighed heavily, disappointment dripping in his tone. “Mieu, when you come back here, tell all your friends that you’re welcome at Grand Chokmah’s palace any time!”

“And once they’re there, you’ll never let them leave,” Anise said snidely and Peony grinned. Mieu whined loudly and shrank down into Guy’s lap, trying to hide away.

 

Before long, they had emerged out of the woods and were walking along the open, grassy fields just as the sun began to rise on the horizon. They were all tired, having walked for miles, but soon enough they came to some jagged, greatly uneven land. They came to the conclusion that this was where Eldrant ended and Auldrant began. It was interesting to see the outerlands and innerlands merged together like this. It wasn’t as clean and smooth a transition as they had all initially though. Sure enough, once back on Auldrant’s territory, it was rather easy to find their way to the main road that lead to Grand Chokmah. Still, Meryl and Anise kept their guard up just in case. One could never be too careful.

Three hours later, Theor forest was in their sights, and after twenty minutes of walking through the thick trees (which the cheagle woods put to _shame_ ), Grand Chokmah was right before them. The guards stationed out front of the city’s walls looked _highly_ alarmed at the presence of a dragon and were ready to draw their weapons when Peony stepped forward.

“E-Emperor Peony?! You look awful!” the first guard cried out.

“Nonsense! I’ve never felt more alive. Open the gates to the city, would you? My friends and I have important matters to discuss.”

“Friends…?” All the guards looked up at the large dragon looming over them. They knew that their Emperor was eccentric but this was an entirely new level…

“Yes, so if you please,” Peony insisted a bit more firmly. 

They nodded, opening up the gates, and one by one they all entered into the Malkuth capital. Most of the attention was on Luke, obviously, as many of the citizens fled in terror, though there was quite a bit of unwanted attention directed at Tear as well, since Jade wasn’t present to work his illusion magic anymore. Peony strode confidently through the streets, leading them over towards the palace, where the guards were quite… well, they really weren’t sure what to make of the display before them. Royal advisors spilled out of the palace, as well as a few high ranking nobles, to see their emperor dirty, in shambles, and with the Divine, his guardian, a fellow nobleman, the Queen of Kimlasca, an elf, and a _dragon_. Honestly, this wasn’t nearly as surprising as it should be.

“Y-your majesty! Are you alright? What happened to the peace talks!?” One of the nobles asked as Peony waved at them dismissively.

“Things went south, not the princess’ fault, we narrowly escaped with our lives and we went on a fantastic journey with mermaids and cheagles!” He was positively grinning as they all stood there, stunned. Luke snorted and lowered himself so Guy could get off before transforming, rubbing his somewhat sore shoulders.

“Can we just get inside and clean up first?” he asked a bit impatiently.

“Yes, let’s.” Meryl nodded. Her clothes were torn and she was quite hungry.

“I think I could use a good bath,” Guy mused as he rubbed his sore leg.

"I think we still have your uniform measurements on document, Gailardia, so what do you say I commission you some new armor? And you, my lady, a new dress?” he looked over at Meryl and the queen blushed. “In fact, how about everyone here gets new clothes and armor. Y’all need it pretty badly.”

“That is much too generous an offer-“ Meryl gasped but Peony waved his hand dismissively.

“Nonsense, all of you worked together to keep myself, and everyone else here safe. This is purely me repaying that debt, and increasing our odds of victory in our next attack.” he beamed, before escorting them in. 

Luke leant Guy his support as they all stepped into the palace, Luke making sure to give the guards a terrifying look complete with slitted eyes and sharp teeth before entering, purely just to mess with them (he had to take his humor where he could get it these days). Once inside, several servants and maids flooded out to greet them, inspecting them, seeing what was needed to be done.

“Ah, your majesty. I’m glad to see that you’ve made it back in one piece.” Jade said from the top of the stairwell that lead into the audience hall. “I had a feeling you’d be coming back here sooner or later.”

“Jade! So glad to see that you made it out of Yulia City.” Peony smiled broadly, almost laughing as the man came down to their level. Relief flooded the whole party, so happy to see that Jade had managed to escape.

“I spent hours looking for all of you but found no trace,” Jade sighed, shaking his head. “All of you look like you’ve been dragged to hell and back. What on Auldrant happened?”

“It’s a long story,” Tear sighed, tiredly. “We escaped with the help of the merfolk.” Jade raised his brows.

“My, that is impressive.” he mused.

Luke blinked, and it dawned on him to ask “…Where’s Asch?” The group looked entirely uncomfortable. The topic they all wished they could have avoided had finally been broached, and none of them were sure just how to respond to the red. “Y-you guys were able to rescue him too, right? M-my head’s still fuzzy from the magic, but-”

“Luke… we barely managed to keep you and Guy from dying. There was no possible way that we could have-“ Tear started but Luke didn’t want to hear it.

“So he’s still there, enslaved to that elf with miasma pumping through his body!?” His voice was bordering on hysterics.

“Look, Luke, we did everything that we could possibly have done in that situation!” Anise snapped, getting up into his face. “Would you rather have we let you and Guy die back there!? Would that have made you happy?”

“My brother is being _poisoned_ right now!” he yelled right back at her. “You mortals have no idea what it is like to have that disgusting sludge taking over your mind!” Jade walked over towards him and slapped him across the face. Luke blinked, stunned, that Jade had the audacity to lay his hands on him like that.

“Yelling at children is not going to solve the issue.” Jade snapped in a firm tone. “In case you haven’t noticed, Sync is also absent, and you are _hardly_ in any condition to fight. So, here’s what we’re going to do: we are all going to get some much needed rest. Once that’s been accomplished, then we can worry about mounting a rescue operation. Asch is strong, he will be okay if we leave him there for a little while longer.”

Luke brought a hand up to his stinging cheek, looking away. “…Fine,” he muttered bitterly, tasting blood in his mouth.

One of the servants stepped forward uneasily and gestured to the group. "If you all would follow me, I'll take you to your rooms." Seeing as how they were personal guests of the emperor, that meant the best treatment possible.

"If you can just get me to the bath, Luke, I can handle myself." Guy said softly, not wanting to make Luke feel as if he had to hover over him when clearly a lot weighed on his mind. Luke said nothing, didn’t even bother to look at him, but he did return to Guy’s side and helped him as they started to move.

They were escorted to the eastern wing of the palace to the guest chambers, the each of them given quite the luxurious bedroom with a massive bed, private washroom, a balcony that overlooked the palace’s stunning water gardens, finery and fresh clothes in every wardrobe, and a host of scented perfumes and bath soaps in filigree trays next to the ivory tubs.

Luke led Guy over to the bed where he sat the man down. He shut the door to give them some privacy and then went over to the tub to fill it. The bathrooms here were different than what could be found in Yulia city and Luke frowned- he was not about to get into a clean tub like this… As hot water filled the tub, Luke went back over to the bed and started to undress Guy, being mindful of his chest and leg.

“I- Luke, I’m alright, I can do it-“ Guy tried to protest, but Luke wasn’t interested in stopping and managed to strip him down completely nude. Modesty was lost after their last… ‘encounter’, but Guy found himself feeling incredibly self conscious knowing that the injuries that marred him now were courtesy of Luke and Luke was around him. He swallowed a bit thickly, feeling nervous and apprehensive as Luke looked him over for a few moments, a blank expression on his face.

The broken armor and dirty pieces of clothes were set aside, and Luke picked up Guy, bringing him over to the washroom. He set him down on a wooden stool next to the tub, ignoring the knight’s protests.

“Honesty, Luke, I’m okay and can do this on my own. You don’t have to coddle me- I know you have a lot on your mind. It’s fine, really-” …And Luke started to strip himself. What was up with Luke- he knew that he was upset over hearing about Asch but this was just bizarre behavior. A bunch of hot water came pouring over his head and he sputtered, coughing. “-Luke!”

“I just… need to be close with you for a while,” Luke set the small bucket he had used to pour the water down onto the ground, crouching behind Guy to place a series of kisses down his spine. He didn’t want to get physical, gods no, neither of them were in any condition for that, but the intimacy and care, the reassurance… he needed that. Luke grabbed one of the bottles of shampoo and squeezed a fair amount out, gently lathering it up into the man’s locks.

“…Okay, Luke,” Guy sighed softly, closing his eyes. It did feel pretty nice to have Luke fussing over him... The skin contact was definitely an added bonus that he relished in, feeling Luke massaging his scalp to work the shampoo. “You okay?”

“I don’t know,” Luke admitted softly, grabbing the bucket to pour more hot water onto him to rinse out the suds in his hair. “Asch is still back there, so is Sync...” He picked up a bar of soap and started to gently scrub at the knight’s skin. He could see patches that had been burned by the stomach acid, the scars from his teeth and claws… Rem, he did so much damage. “It’s amazing that I’m still even alive, after you cut through me. A cut that deep, I should definitely be dead,” he laughed a little bitterly, grabbing the bucket once more. The mud and grime was finally starting to come off the knight. “I should consider myself lucky that you didn’t have your family sword on you… That would have killed me for sure.”

“Van has it…” Guy sighed heavily. “I don’t know why, or what he wants with it, but-” More water came pouring down overhead. “I’m glad I didn’t have that sword, either.” Though he did briefly wonder, if he had faced off against Asch instead, would Asch have actually managed to kill him? He did seem more like the type to tear one apart rather than swallow one whole- oh Rem, he didn’t want to remember that.

“I… Jade was right, though,” he reached up and rubbed his swollen cheek. “I’m in no condition to go back and fight... I let myself be brainwashed and controlled. It could happen again, and I don’t want to fight against you-”

Guy reached out a damp hand to push through Luke's hair, forcing the bangs back from his face. "You won't. You know what to expect now. Whatever Van did, he got you by surprise and you could only take so much miasma in your body before you had no choice but to give in, and you know it." He cradled that somewhat reddened cheek and smiled. "I know it won't happen again. You're way too stubborn for that."

Luke smiled sweetly at him upon hearing that, so he reached up and grabbed onto the hand that cradled his cheek. “You always know just what to say.” he closed his eyes, resting his forehead against Guy’s. 

"It's a gift," Guy chuckled. These moments, these instances of quiet enjoyment between the two of them, were what Guy enjoyed the most. 

“We’ve been doing this since the very beginning… Maybe it is time we step back and let the others handle things...” He didn’t like that though. He wanted to go and get his brother back but, what could he do? He was in no state to fly, no condition to fight, and if he got captured again, there would be no possible way to deal with the miasma… He hated that he had to sit on the sidelines for now, absolutely hated it!

He finished scrubbing Guy clean, making sure not one speck of dirt remained on him before helping him up and easing him into the tub, When Guy was settled, Luke took to washing himself off in a similar fashion before joining Guy in the tub. The water was so soothing and warm, and the smells of the scented shampoos wafted into the air, making this extremely relaxing. Luke leaned up against Guy and sighed softly, closing his eyes, feeling about one thousand percent better than before. Guy’s hand found its way to his chin and forced him to look up, the blond leaning in to place a kiss on his lips which Luke eagerly leaned in to. Some high pitched squeaking caught their attention and they peered over to the doorway to see that damn cheagle standing there looking quite flustered. 

“What the hell are you doing there _watching_?! Get out!” Luke picked up a loofa and threw it at Mieu, who whimpered loudly and scampered off to hide.

The blond laughed and watched Mieu run off. "Just stay in the bedroom!" He called out with a laugh, turning his gaze back to Luke. "He's lucky you can't go after him." Guy kissed Luke's temple before sighing and sinking down a little into the water. "Think you could heat this a little more? It's nice now but a little hotter would be better."

“You’re asking a fire dragon if it can heat the water in this tiny tub?” he asked a little incredulously. Luke scoffed, smirking slightly as he held his hands out just above the surface of the water and blue flames appeared from his palms. The water immediately went up a couple of degrees, and it was going from nice and warm to rather hot quickly. Luke watched Guy carefully to see just how hot he could get away with- he was partial to boiling water himself but that would positively maim the poor human and the last thing he wanted was to add further injury. 

He managed to raise the water’s temperature by five degrees before the blond started to look uncomfortable, so he cut the flames and allowed for the water to sit, releasing some of the heat back into the air. Luke sighed heavily, allowing all of his sore, aching muscles to relax into the heat as he practically melted onto Guy’s side. This felt so nice… he felt so safe and warm… Luke gently took Guy’s arm and wrapped it around himself so he could snuggle in nice and close. 

They stayed like that for a while, huddled in close to each other in the warmth of the bath, but the very comfortable atmosphere soon lulled Guy into such a calm state that he'd begun to nod off. His head bobbed and came to rest against Luke's. Luke himself had been so zoned out he hadn’t noticed that Guy started to nod off until the man practically fell asleep on top of him. He chuckled and gently shook him awake. 

“No falling asleep in the tub. Everyone would be livid if you drowned after all the trouble they went through to save your sorry ass.” he laughed, pulling the plug in the tub to allow the water to drain. They had been in there long enough, and they were both tired so a good night’s rest in a warm, comfortable bed was in order.

When the water was to his waist he stood, bending down to help Guy back up to his feet before oh so carefully aiding him up and out of the tub. He grabbed a towel to dry Guy off with, dried himself off, and grabbed a couple robes from the wardrobe to change into. Luke collapsed onto the bed and let out a heavy sigh, staring upwards at the ceiling. “I could sleep for the next five years I’m so tired…One day. That’s how long I got to sleep for when everyone left before I woke up in chains. One day was just not enough…” he mumbled sleepily. 

"I might be sleeping those five years right along with you," Guy muttered, not realizing just how _tired_ he was after everything that happened. Obviously he couldn’t actually sleep those five years, but he would very likely be spending the rest of tomorrow sleeping.

“Guuuuy,” Luke moaned, extending his arms out towards him. “Come here.”

“Needy dragon,” Guy quietly laughed and moved into his embrace, kissing him softly. "Let's make a deal, nobody wakes anybody up tomorrow unless it's an emergency."

“Deal,” Luke mumbled tiredly as he pulled the covers up and over them before drifting off to sleep in Guy’s arms.


	31. The Sacking of Grand Chokmah

_Sylph Redecan, Loreleiday 48 N.D. 2018_

Loud, angry sounding gongs rang throughout the city and Luke was jarred from his deep slumber. He shot upright and looked around with wide eyes in a panic, trying to reorient himself. How long had he been asleep? Where was Guy? Why was that awful noise echoing so loudly?! He struggled to pull himself up to his feet and stumbled over to the balcony, seeing Grand Chokmah going up in flames.

“Fos ausul koros!?1” he cursed loudly, making a break for the doorway to try and find his mate.

The people were screaming, lost in the utter pandemonium as a horde of elven soldiers marched upon the capital. Luke rounded a corner and skidded to a halt, seeing a couple of heavily armed elven soldiers standing over the mangled corpses of maids. Shit- shit, shit shit! What the hell happened while he was asleep!? He summoned some flames, ready to strike if necessary. 

“Tal anu’men! Diel fin’al!2” one of the soldiers yelled at him.

“Sha’amoor ara mashaal! Endala finel endal- band’or felomin ashal shindu fallah na!3” he warned, widening his stance as the elves laughed.

“Al diel shala. Shindu’thalas telah medhiv nah endal.5” They stepped closer, raising their weapons to him.

Luke growled lowly and inhumanly, a couple of the elves flinching, but staying their ground. The flames Luke summoned heated up exponentially before he charged, drowning them in a searing fire.

“-Luke! Luke, stop! They’re dead!” Guy’s voice registered in his ears and he dismissed the flames, seeing the blond at the end of the hallway. “I was coming from the throne room to come get you, are you alright?”

“Guy?” Luke lowered his hands, relief washing over him. Guy was walking on his own, and that was a very good sign. He rushed over to the knight and threw his arms around him tightly. “How long was I asleep for?! How did the elves invade the cit-“ A massive explosion sounded off outside, the impact shattering the windows overhead. Luke grabbed onto Guy and forced him to duck down as sharp shards of glass rained down upon them, smoke and ash billowing in thereafter. He coughed a bit, brushing some of the shards from his and Guy’s hair. “…Maybe this isn’t the best time to ask,” he said, growing highly anxious.

“We need to get going! Peony’s barricaded himself in with the survivors in the throne room.”

“Where are the others?” Luke asked as they started to run off down the hallways.

“In Baticul with Meryl. You’ve been asleep for a month and a half.”

“No one bothered to wake me in over a month?!”

“We agreed not to wake you unless it was an emergency, and I’m pretty sure this constitutes as an emergency.” Guy weakly laughed as they rounded yet another corner.

“Damnit, Guy…!” Luke skidded to a halt in the main foyer, seeing a bunch of the palace guards fighting off the invading forces. Outside, he could see the citizens running for their lives and major fires roaring. “Guy, you can stay here and secure the palace or you can come with me and fight the elves head on, your choice. But I have to extinguish those fires or else there’ll be nothing left of Grand Chokmah.”

Guy scoffed. "I'm coming with you, Luke. They can handle themselves in here." He straightened up a little, looking to the dragon. "Do what you need to do. I'll do what I can to protect and save any civilians.”

A brief smile flashed across the dragon’s face. Typical Guy, always willing to rush headlong into the thick of things to do what was right. “Good! Don’t get killed out there, otherwise I’ll never forgive you!” he called out, signaling for Guy to follow after him into the city.

Blood ran in the streets.

Elven soldiers were chasing down and slaughtering innocent civilians, mages were setting buildings ablaze, Malkuth guards were trying to evacuate the people rather unsuccessfully- the overwhelming stench of blood made Luke physically nauseated, and the screams of terror were entirely too painful to listen to.

He transformed quickly, making it a point to roar out as loudly as he could to draw as many of the invaders towards him. Sure enough, within moments he was entirely surrounded by a slew of elves, all of them with their weapons raised as if ready to attack.

“Anar’alah! Ban’dinoriel bash’a no falor talah!5”  
“Aranal!6”  
“Felo’melorn!7”

They all jeered, encroaching on him. Mortals… He didn’t have time for this. He let out a low growl, whipping his tail around to slam into them, knocking them with such force they were smashed into the nearby building. Others charged, but it was entirely too easy for Luke to tear them apart with his jaws and teeth. When no opposing forces remained, he took to the air and circled above the city, trying to pinpoint where the fires were burning the thickest. A series of small homes clustered together in a residential district- likely made from cheap, flammable material- burned the brightest and hottest. Luke swooped down and landed atop the mage that had been summoning the flames, crushing the man, before he screeched and beat his wings, the flames beginning to die down.

A woman screamed and a baby was crying. Luke turned his head around to find the source of the noise and followed it to a burning building where a woman and her child had been trapped beneath a fallen support beam. He sucked in the flames, fully extinguishing them before gripped the support beam in his jaws, lifting it up and away from the woman, who, understandably terrified, grabbed hold of her child and cradled him close to her. “Get out of the city while you still can!” Luke urged her, before taking back to the skies to move on to the next biggest fire.

 

Guy had taken to fighting off a large number of elven soldiers, trying to give the city guards much needed reprieve. The fighting had been so intense and fierce, the humans were being run ragged. At this rate, the elves would simply tire them all out and slaughter them without mercy! He turned down a street, seeing a group of three elves that had cornered an older man and woman. The man had a rusty sword raised to the elves, trying to protect the woman behind him, but he had a massive wound on his shoulder. They weren’t going to survive if he didn’t do something!

He sprang forwards and ran towards the nearest elf and plunged his sword into their abdomen. With a clean slice he cleaved into the next, leaving the last one raising his sword to strike. The civilian bludgeoned the elf with the pommel of his blade and spat on him.

“That’ll teach you to come after my wife, you knife eared freak!”

“Are you two alright?” Guy asked, the older woman shaking while the man grasped at his shoulder.

“We’ve seen better days…” the man dropped his sword, groaning as blood seeped out and stained his tunic.

“Can you make it to the palace? Emperor Peony has fortified the throne room and can keep you both safe.”

“Y-yes, we can make it… T-thank you,” the woman said, grasping onto her husband before hurrying off the fastest they could.

Guy sighed heavily, glad he could help those two when the sound of wings overhead drew his attention. He looked up and saw Luke flying off, and silently prayed that this would all be over soon.

 

Why did Grand Chokmah have to be so fucking large?! 

Luke internally swore as he flew from one fire to the next, putting them out as fast as he possibly could. When one fire died down, two more sprung back up on opposite sides of the city. The mages were not screwing around, they were smart, and trying to tire him out. Even worse, it was working- Luke was exhausted. He had only just woken up after more than a month’s rest and he hadn’t eaten anything properly since before Yulia city- he was running on fumes at this point, and soon he was sure to give out… There had to be some way to effectively stop those mages!

…Oh, by the Seven, he did not like the first idea that came to his mind, but so far, it was the only real chance they had.

He flew over a series of fires to land atop the cathedral in the middle of the city, it being the tallest point in the center aside from the palace itself. He transformed back, standing on the roof as he overlooked the chaos below, before holding out his hands and closing his eyes. 

“Mirodah’Vild Zu'u faan voknau hin suleyk…8” he chanted, entering into a deep trance as Lorelei’s power surrounded him, “Zu'u nahfaal dii viilut ol hin unadaan wah kod….9” The air around him began to sparkle, the mana becoming visible. He raised his arms up into the air and started to weave his hands about, drawing in all of the abundant mana in the air, pulling every last ounce of magic in the area. The mages that had been casting their fires suddenly found themselves unable to conjure anymore. Any spell they had started failed instantly, and their current flames that had engulfed the city were snuffed out in a moment. Luke clapped his hands together, compressing the magic so tightly it manifested in a physical form: a very large, beautiful golden crystal that dropped to his feet.

He gasped, feeling the power of Lorelei being ripped away from him forcefully as he dropped to his knees. Ringing sounded in his ears; a warning. 

_Unhappy… Too much… You will lose yourself…_

The message was far too scrambled for it to actually make any sense, and it left Luke with a throbbing headache.

 

"You can't stay here," Guy called through the doorway of the house to the elder couple who was too stubborn to head out. "I can escort you back toward the palace until a guard can take you the rest of the wa-“

"I'm not leaving this house! It took everything I had to get this place and I've lived my entire life here!” the old man beat his chest.

"Please, we've endured worse. Help someone younger who needs it!” the woman shook her head.

"I'm not leaving you two here. The elves aren't going to let anyone survive this and if they come across you then-" Guy tensed when he noticed a mage spot him from down the street. "Stay in here!"

"Damn right! We weren't-"

"I'm taking you to the palace as soon as I come back!” Guy slammed the door and readied his blade, watching the mage intently. Clearly he'd been lighting these houses aflame as he cast a fireball that Guy dodged by barely a few feet. When the ball of mana hit the side of a nearby building, it exploded in a huge combustion that caught the buildings ablaze. Dammit…! Trying to dodge these could end up destroying this portion of the city!

As the mage conjured up another fireball, Guy kicked off and charged, but the flame vanished from the mage's hand and he seemed stunned. Guy took advantage of the pause to lodge his blade in through his ribs and right into his heart. He drew the blade back out quickly as the man dropped only to realize the flames that had caught the buildings on fire had died out already.

“What the…?” Did Luke find a way to stop the fires?

 

Luke pushed himself back onto his feet, the double vision clearing as his headache began to subside. He didn’t have time to be in pain, there was still a city to save. He picked up the golden crystal and ate it, absorbing the abundance of magic deep within his system. Refreshed and recharged, Luke quickly transformed once more and took off into flight, seeing that every single fire had been extinguished, and stayed that way. The elven mages, now useless, were all fleeing towards the port where a large number of warships had docked. Ah, so that’s how they invaded… hard to believe they managed to break through Grand Chokmah’s fortress defenses. The red dragon swooped down low, taking in a deep breath before exhaling a torrent of blue flame, so hot and powerful it melted the ships in mere moments.

The mages, stranded on the docks, looked around nervously for some way out when Luke landed before them, snarling. “Hi lost vodein hin sahvot!10” They cowered before him, falling onto their knees to pray. “This goes against _all_ of Yulia’s teachings!” Luke snapped at them, growling fiercely.

“Please, my guardian! Your mercy!” One called out, raising his hands up to the sky.

“W-We were just following orders!” Luke became angry, and he slapped his tail down onto the wooden boards of the dock, causing a sickening crack to be heard. The elves whimpered in response, shuffling back a little bit.

“Surrender!” the dragon ordered, and all of them dropped their staves, tomes, and armor before the mighty beast. A flank of Malkuth soldiers arrived, encircling them. “They have surrendered, take them to the palace to face judgement.” Luke commanded, the soldiers now escorting the elves through the city.

“Luke!” Guy called out as he ran over to the dragon’s side. “Most of the city has been evacuated. The guards are doing a sweep to look for any stragglers.” Oh good, Guy had made it through the battle safely. Luke swapped back to human form and wrapped his arms around the human tightly, taking a moment just to appreciate that fact. “…Luke?”

“I’m just glad to see you’re safe,” he said, releasing him. “We should head to the palace. The elves will be facing judgement.”

“Right. Let’s go.”

 

Upon arrival at the palace, the guards escorted them straight to the audience hall where Emperor Peony was sitting on his throne. The group of elven mages were down on their knees in a horizontal line before him, and the humans that had taken refuge in the palace lined the walls, shouting derogatory slurs and angry obscenities at them. Granted their horrible attack on the city, they certainly deserved it, but it still didn’t make it any easier to listen to. Peony took notice of their arrival and urged them forwards.

“Luke, you’re familiar with elven politics. Tell me, what should I do in regards to this?” he asked in a very serious tone, and Luke looked genuinely surprised.

“I… would have thought that you would execute them for attacking your city and people. You’re asking me for my judgement?”

“I’m asking for your _input_. These elves did endanger not only my life but the lives of my people, and that is unforgivable. But, maybe you might be able to shed some insight.” he said as Luke looked over at the elves.

Stepping forwards, he manifested a host of his draconic features and stood over them. 

“B-Ban’dinoriel…!” the elves whispered in hushed voices, saturated with fear.

“You sit here facing judgement,” Luke snorted, eyeing all of them, “Judgement that I personally feel you do not deserve. You have abandoned your faith, forsaken your princess, and blindly follow the orders of a man who should never have seized power.”

“F-Forgive us, Guardian! T-the humans, they had taken our princess! We had orders to get her back!” One of the elves pleaded but this set off a roar from the humans.

“LIES!”  
“String them up!”  
“Kill the knife ears!” The humans shouted in response. Luke screeched loudly, silencing them. He has had just about enough of all this...

Peony stepped forward, a frown on his face as he crossed his arms. “Princess Mystearica had been kidnapped by her own brother. We rescued her from stasis crystals in the palace’s dungeon.” he said and the elves looked to one another, murmuring worriedly.

“Van lied to us?”  
“But the princess…!”  
“How can that be…?”  
“…Where is the princess, then?” one of the elven soldiers asked.

“Traveling with Queen Meryl and Divine Ion. She should be in Baticul,” Peony replied, but the elves looked _very_ concerned.

“What’s wrong?” Luke asked, dreading their answer.

“A second battalion of soldiers was sent to attack that city with orders to demolish it… It’s going to collapse!”

"What?" Peony looked alarmed. "What do you mean that the city is going to collapse?”

"We were ordered to destroy the Kimlascan capital! Since the city is built straight up, it wouldn't be hard to do. But if the princess is there then she'll be killed!"

The elves looked distraught, fearful that they might very well be the demise of their beloved princess. “How long is there before your forces reach Baticul and start working on bringing it down?" Guy asked as he stepped forward to the elves, expression firm. 

“Not long enough for you to fly there…” One of the mages said grimly, lowering his head in shame. “Our general ordered simultaneous attacks on both human capitals to eliminate the threat once and for all.” The humans surrounding them grew quite scared, and voiced this.

Damn it… it was at least a twelve hour flight from one capital to the other, at top speeds. There had to be a faster way… Tear herself was highly skilled with magic, and Meryl was one hell of a fighter so hopefully they would have a bit more success on holding off the invasion. But still… An idea hit Luke. He ordered all the mages to stand. “Peony, you stay here and protect your people, Guy, you come with me- mages, follow.” he commanded, having all of them head out to the city once more.

He instructed for them to stand in a large circle, pulling Guy into the center alongside of him. “Alright, I’m going to release the mana back into the area, and you’re all going to channel it through Lorelei.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to-“ One of the mages gasped but Luke shot a glare at him, effectively silencing him.

“Do as I say.” He snapped, holding his hands out as balls of sparkling, golden light came forth, floating about in their immediate area.

The mages linked hands, closing their eyes as they began to hum in unison. The magic particles then began to vibrate, a frequency emerging- one that Luke was all too familiar with. He took a deep breath and drew glyphs into the air with his fingers, then grabbed hold of Guy and held onto him very tightly. “Close your eyes, and think of Baticul.” he instructed, before slicing his hand open and allowing the blood to ignite.

"Okay." Guy nodded, shutting his eyes and letting his mind fill with thoughts of the Kimlascan city. Tall buildings, a coliseum, the castle and the people who were there. It felt warm for a second, a hum filled his ears and then in a flash of light, they both disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 What the hell happened?!  
> 2 Just give up! You don't stand a chance!  
> 3 Stand down, soldiers! I will use force- deadly or otherwise!  
> 4 Just shut up. You're outnumbered and outmatched.  
> 5 Surround him! Capture the Gatekeeper at all costs!  
> 6 Got it!  
> 7 This'll be easy!  
> 8 Lorelei I call upon your power...  
> 9 I invoke my right as your chosen to wield it  
> 10 You have abandoned your faith!


	32. Baticul's Fall

It felt warm for a second, his senses tingling and buzzing as a familiar hum he had learned to associate with Luke sounded off in his ears. It was abruptly replaced with the sounds of fierce fighting. Guy’s eyes shot wide open and he glanced around, finding the two of them to be entrenched in the middle of a hot combat zone in Baticul’s commons, the Capital of Light looking no better than Grand Chokmah had. 

“Whatever you did worked, Luke!” Guy said as he drew his blade, ready to jump back into the fray, “Tear and Meryl would likely be in the-“ he stopped himself short for a moment before shaking his head, “Actually, Meryl’s too concerned about the people. She’s likely somewhere in the city fighting.”

“Of course she is…” Luke muttered a tad bitterly, trying to gather his bearings. Hyperresonance always took it out of him whenever he wasn’t using it at a gateway, but, after channeling Lorelei’s power earlier-… Damn it. He’d have to do it again here to disarm the mages. He could sense magic glyphs and spells being hurled around throughout the entire city! “We’ll have to split up again. See if you can locate Tear, Meryl, Ion, or Ani-“ A large shadow passed by overhead and they both looked up, seeing Jade circling above overhead. Oh good, that was one party member accounted for. “Go, go find the others!” Luke urged as he pushed the blond away, quickly transforming to take to the air.

Guy watched as Luke took off and found himself to be at a loss. Baticul was _huge_ , and their friends could be _anywhere_ within it. He tried to think of the city’s layout to at least somewhat narrow down his search area; where Meryl was, the others were certainly nearby. The lower quarter would probably be her priority since the nobles in the upper quarter had their own guards and protection. The lower class was far more likely to be in danger. If Meryl was actually down in the slums fighting for her people on the front lines, there was no doubt in Guy’s mind that she would be the _best_ ruler in Kimlascan history. He set off, slowly making his way to the lower quarter where the fighting grew louder and the smell of blood was pungent. Hopefully they weren’t too late in getting here…! 

An elven soldier had a young girl grasped by her hair, the girl screaming for help as the elf literally dragged her through the streets. Guy leapt down from above, plunging his blade into the elf to free the girl who scrambled away from him crying. “H-hey, it’s okay, it’s going to be okay.” Guy tried to assure her as she trembled. “Have you seen the Queen anywhere or heard anything?”

“I-I think… I think she was headed towards the docks,” she sniffled.

“Thank you. Try to make it to the upper levels; it’s safer there.” The girl nodded meekly and rubbed at her eyes. She stood, gave Guy a weak smile, and then dashed off, disappearing around a corner.

He headed off towards the docks without delay only to find once he arrived that the area was completely swarming with elves. Meryl had probably tried to come down here only to find that this was where the elves had invaded and retreated back to a safer location… Damnit, he was back to square one all over again! The knight quickly worked his way backwards, being as careful as possible to avoid drawing the attention of the elves.

Back in the commons, he started to outright call for Meryl, which unfortunately did draw a large number of elves towards him. They were no real problem to deal with at first, but as their numbers grew larger it was difficult to keep up. He spun around and was ready to take on a group of three, but they fell when a hail of arrows rained down from above. Looking up, Guy found the Kimlascan Queen perched up amongst the elevator supports. “What on Auldrant are you doing up there?”

“Looking for survivors from a vantage point!” she carefully hopped down so she was now at his level. “What are you doing here? I thought you and Luke were in Grand Chokmah.”

“Grand Chokmah was just attacked, too. Luke used some of his magic to bring us here. The elves think that Tear’s been captured and held hostage by us. Her brother’s been lying to them to garner their support.”

“But Tear is fine!”

“They need to know this and we’ve got to hurry. The soldiers that attacked Malkuth said that they plan on bringing Baticul down to the ground.” 

Meryl’s face paled considerably. “Then we haven’t a moment to lose, we must get back up to the castle immediately!” She slung her bow over her shoulder as they began their sprint through the city.

 

“-Jade!” Luke called out as he flew over to the blue. “Where are the others?!”

“Luke? About time you showed up.” Jade snorted, adjusting his trajectory to avoid a gigantic fireball hurling towards him. “One moment,” he excused himself before swooping down and exhaling a chilling frost that froze the trebuchet and elven soldiers in solid blocks of ice. “That’s better. Tear and Ion are within the castle, healing the sick and wounded. Anise and Meryl are somewhere down there fighting.”

“I need to absorb all the mana in the area-“ Luke started but Jade shot him a worrying look. “I did it back in Grand Chokmah without issue. I’ll be fine. It stopped the mages there, we have to stop them here. They’re trying to blow up the city!”

“Do that then. I’ll aid the battle below.”

The dragons split off, Luke heading towards the top of the castle while Jade descended back down to the commons atop the thickest of the fighting. The red landed heavily onto the castle’s tiles, briefly changing forms before a crushing headache nearly crippled him, that familiar humming ringing in the back of his ears.

_Stop._  
_You can’t continue doing this._  
_Find another way._

Luke pushed himself back up to his feet and forcibly invoked Lorelei’s power, performing the exact same spell as he had at Grand Chokmah. A very large, concentrated magic crystal dropped to his feet, nearly twice as large as the one from Malkuth. He tried to bend down and grab it but his vision blurred, and he collapsed onto his hands and knees. Blood was running from his nose.

_You are verging on dangerous territory._  
_It will destroy you._  
_What are you doing?_

“I didn’t _ask_ you, Lorelei…” Luke muttered as he wiped his nose on his sleeve.

It took a couple moments, but the headache waned and he was able to gather up enough concentration to transform- not before stashing the crystal on his person, it would definitely come in handy later. Flight was a challenge, but thankfully he didn’t have to go far as he landed down on the royal grounds. Ion, who had been helping Tear nearby, lit up and ran over to Luke’s side.

“Luke! I am so glad to see you!” he called out excitedly as Luke changed back to human form. “We desperately need your help-“

“Where’s Tear?” he asked and Ion blinked.

“Luke, you’re… you’re bleeding-“

“ _WHERE_ is Tear?” he asked again, far more forceful than he had intended to sound as he wiped the blood off of his face. Ion mutely pointed over towards the castle and Luke rushed off, seeing the princess tending to grievously wounded guards. “Tear!” he yelled and she broke away from her spell to look at him.

“Luke?! You’re here? I thought you were-“

“You need to come with me _right now_.” He grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her away from the unconscious white knight.

“Luke, stop- these people are hurt and need-“

“The entire city will _collapse_ unless you come with me right now!” Everyone around him gasped. “Your brother lied to his troops, said that the humans were the one to kidnap you. They’re going to blow up the city unless you get down there and let them know that _you are okay_.”

“Alright,” she nodded, hurrying over to him.

 

With the mana in the city having been fully depleted, the mages were once again useless. No spells could be activated, so the elves fell to their backup plan using old fashioned charges. Crude, but effective nonetheless… Soldiers had been deployed into the various, strategic locations that would cripple Baticul in a manner of moments should an explosion go off, placing the charges against support beams and various key structures. The commander of their army held the detonation switch in hand, waiting for his men to be clear when a large, angry red dragon nearly landed on him. Tear jumped down off of the dragon’s back and stormed over to the commander, slapping him across the face.

“Y-Your highness-?!” the elf sputtered, taking several steps back.

“You did not have sanction to wage war against the humans like this!” she nearly screamed at him. “Drop your weapons and issue immediate retreat!”

“Do as the princess says,” Luke hissed, poising himself as if ready to strike. The elf commander stammered, looking between the princess, the dragon, and the detonator.

“What Van would do to me for disobeying his orders… Yulia, forgive me,” the elf said before pressing the button.

 

“What’s-?!” Meryl stumbled as the ground beneath her trembled violently. She and Guy both turned, seeing the explosions shoot up throughout the entire city, their eyes widening as shockwaves headed straight for them. Without even thinking, Guy grabbed hold of Meryl and forced her to the ground, using his own body to shield her. Stunned, she watched silently as the shockwave hit, the force strong enough to nearly blow away the both of them back against the coliseum wall. When it passed, Guy quickly released her and got up, brushing himself off.

“We need to get out of here!” he called out, buildings all around them crumbling down. He spun around and looked at the queen who just stood there, staring at him. “-Meryl!”

“You just… You touched me.” There was almost a smile on her face.

Before Guy could even reply, Anise appeared from around the side of the coliseum wall and ran over towards them. “There you are! We have to get out of here!”

“Let’s head for the bridge-“ Meryl started but Anise shook her head furiously.

“The bridge is out! The elves blew that up to trap us here!”

“And the port is crawling with elves. Is there _no_ other way out of the city?” Guy looked to Meryl. She wracked her brain for anything she could think of, an escape tunnel, a secret passageway, _something_ to get them out of there safely but she drew a complete blank. She shook her head and Guy cursed, “Who the hell designed this city?!”

Wings flapping overhead drew their attention and they saw Jade approaching, the massive blue dragon landing close by. “Hurry and get on,” he commanded, the humans scrambling to get over to him as the trembling grew even worse. When secure, Jade took to the skies, all of them watching as large portions of the city started to fall apart.

A flash of red had Guy turning, seeing Luke flying off towards the top of the city. What was he doing?!

“Jade-!” Guy yelled, but the blue dragon paid him no heed, instead flying them down to the grassy fields just beyond the collapsed bridge. Meryl stumbled off of him as she stared out at her city. Colour completely drained from her face as tears streamed down her cheeks. More and more of the city was breaking apart, and Meryl knew that there was nothing that she could do to rescue the citizens still trapped within.

The bottom tier to the city gave out, and like dominoes, every tier thereafter shortly came crumbling down. Shockwaves of dust and smoke hit them, and when the air finally cleared, the Capital of Light no longer existed. Meryl dropped to her knees and threw up, unable to stomach the utter destruction and death laid out before her. This… This was unforgivable!

“Where’s Ion!?” Anise shrieked, looking around in a panic. “Oh Gods- Ion was in there! I have to find him!”

“Tear was in there, too, Anise. Its _far_ too dangerous to go into that mess!” Jade scolded but Anise didn’t want to hear it as she jumped down from Jade’s back, running over to the edge of the collapsed bridge. It was much too far a distance, and far too high to even try climbing down and around the gap… Anise’s knees buckled and she fell, sobbing loudly.

Guy climbed down off of Jade and stared out at the rubble. Luke had gone off just before it collapsed… he didn’t get caught up in the fall, did he? He nervously wrung his hands together, holding his breath as he prayed for some sort of miracle.

Please, gods.

_Please._

“-Guy!” The blond spun around and looked up, seeing the red dragon coming in to make a landing. Oh, praise the Seven! And he was carrying with him Ion and… Lady Susanne? Luke touched down onto the ground, allowing the duchess and the Divine to get off of him before he transformed.

Anise _sprinted_ over to Ion and practically tackled him as she threw her arms around him. “Ion! Don’t you _ever_ scare me like that again!”

“I’m sorry for worrying you, Anise. I’m okay, I promise. Please, forgive me.” he weakly smiled at her as he brushed some of the tears away from her face. Her bottom lip quivered and she quickly buried her face into his chest, clutching onto him tightly. Ion chuckled softly and gently patted the back of her head. He had such a good guardian…

“L-Lady Susanne!” Meryl picked herself up and breathed out a sigh of relief. At least _one_ person had been spared.

“Are you alright, dear?” the duchess asked, taking Meryl into a desperately needed hug.

Guy watched for a moment before turning his attention to Luke, so grateful that he had made it out of there okay. “Where is Tear?” he asked as Luke approached him.

“She was down in the port where it was safe…” Guy’s face fell. Luke’s breathing was incredibly labored and his nose was bleeding pretty badly. This happened before when they were lowering the outerlands- did… did Luke call on Lorelei again? What was that term he used last time…?

“You- Are you okay? You didn’t mana strain yourself, did you?” Guy asked with worry.

“I’m fine, I’m… I’m fine…” he swayed before his eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the ground.

“Luke!” Guy ducked down and checked the red for a pulse. Faint, but it was there. Jade watched this silently for a few moments before he exhaled sharply, shaking his head.

“Will he be okay?” Meryl bit her bottom lip, dreading the possibility that they could lose him.

“Not if he continues calling on Lorelei for help.” Jade muttered, looking at the unconscious redhead.

“What does that mean?” Guy looked up at Jade.

“It means power has a price and he has been abusing it. He’s not as strong as he likes to think he is. His body _will_ give out on him if he continues trying to wield that power.” Jade snapped and Guy flinched.

“…And without him, dealing with the miasma will be impossible.” The blue dragon nodded. Rem, his stomach hurt… “Will he be okay _for now_?” Guy rephrased Meryl’s question and Jade nodded again. Okay… okay, good. That was reassuring.

They all made it through this.


	33. Plan of Attack

_Sylph Redecan, Undineday 53 N.D. 2018_

“..ke… Lu…! Luke!” Guy’s voice filled his ears. The red dragon let out a low groan, his head positively spinning. He opened up his eyes, and found everything to be black for a few seconds until his vision slowly returned to him, seeing the fuzzy outline of Guy seated at his side. “Oh good, you’re finally awake. You really had us worried.”

“Where…?” Luke asked as he slowly sat up, bringing a hand to his forehead in hopes of alleviating the dull throb.

“We’re onboard one of the elven warships headed back towards Yulia city. You’ve been unconscious for a few days now. How’re you feeling?” Guy asked as Luke exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples in small circles.

“Irritated. Really irritated.”

“What, why?” Guy blinked, looking confused.

“I am getting so tired of waking up with a bad headache and not knowing where I am or how I got there. It was fun _once_ when it involved communion wine and being thrown out of a temple for debauchery, but this?” Guy stifled a snicker. Well, that was a story he’d certainly have to ask about later. “-Wait a minute. We’re headed _towards_ Yulia city?”

“Yeah. Tear wrestled the elven soldiers back under her control. You, ah… just be glad you were unconscious. What she did to that general was, quite frankly, terrifying.” Guy shuddered. “Anyways, a large bulk of Kimlasca and Malkuth’s forces have already been engaged in the area. We’re planning a direct strike to usurp Van from power.” Guy explained and a lopsided grin came to Luke’s face.

“Look at you, planning a full frontal assault while I’m unconscious. You know how to make a dragon swoon.”

“I didn’t realize you were such a connoisseur of war tactics.” Guy chuckled as he brought up his hand to gently brush his fingers against Luke’s cheek.

“Boys,” Meryl’s unamused voice from the doorway cut in, “I don’t mean to interrupt but we’re in the middle of a war. Save the shameless flirting for later.” She stepped in, followed by Ion and Jade.

“How are you feeling?” Ion asked with worry as he hurried over to Luke’s side, looking somewhat distressed.

“Using _that_ much of Lorelei’s power is starting to take its affect on you,” Jade warned sternly, bringing his hands around behind his back. “If I were you, I’d refrain from calling on him again.”

“I don’t want to hear it. I did what I had to to save Baticul and Grand Chokmah-“ Jade laughed, hard.

“You didn’t save Baticul, Luke. It was still destroyed with nearly all loss of life regardless of your choices, choices that put _your_ life into jeopardy when you _know_ you are a required tool when dealing with the miasma.”

Guy frowned deeply. “Don’t call him a tool, Jade.”

“He is what he is, and I’m in no mood to argue semantics. Luke, try to use your head a little and actually _think_ about the consequences to your actions. If you had managed to kill yourself back there, we would have no way to deal with the miasma-“

“So Asch is still under Van’s control. What the hell have you even been doing for the last month and a half?” Luke growled.

“Fighting a war and doing what we can _when_ we can.” Jade replied harshly, narrowing his gaze at the redhead. “This is our first real opportunity to strike at Van without significant risk of loss and we are taking it. In the meantime, you are barred from calling on Lorelei until this miasma problem has been dealt with once and for all. After that, kill yourself all you like.”

“Jade!” Meryl shot the blue dragon a very angry look.

“No, it’s fine, Meryl.” Luke said, much to Guy and Meryl’s disbelief. The both of them started to protest but Luke cut them off, “Jade has a point, I wasn’t thinking about the long term consequences. It’s a flaw, I live entirely too in the present and fail to plan ahead. I need to work on that.”

“Glad to know you see the error of your ways,” Jade said, his tone and demeanor softening a bit. “Now, get up and get yourself some food. We’ll be at Yulia city by the end of the week, and you need to be back in top condition for the things to come.”

“Alright,” Luke nodded, moving to get out of the bed when he paused for a moment. “…What happened to Lady Susanne?”

“We sent her to Belkend via carriage. She’ll be safe there.” Meryl spoke up and Luke let out a sigh of relief, glad to know that at least he had managed to save her. “You’re awful fond of the duchess, if I might say.”

Luke awkwardly cleared his throat and averted his gaze, his face tinted slightly pink out of embarrassment. “She, uh, feels a lot like the mother I never really had…”

Meryl blinked and then brought her hands up to her face, eyes sparkling. “Luke, that is so precious!”

“S-shut up!”

 _Sylph Redecan, Syphday 54 N.D. 2018_  

Luke blinked, looking around confusedly. He was unsure where he was or what he had been doing before he ended up here… wherever here was. It was completely dark, the only real thing he could distinguish in this black abyss was himself. Honestly, what _had_ he been doing and _how_ did he get here? He glanced around, trying to find something else in this void with him when he froze, seeing his brother lying on the ground a ways away.

“Asch!” Luke nearly screamed, taking off into a dead run towards his sibling. There was a splash and- his foot was stuck? Looking back, his eyes widened with fear when he saw that he had stepped into a giant puddle of miasma! He pulled, hard, trying to break his foot free from the impossibly sticky sludge but it wouldn’t let go. Asch was _right there_ , damnit! Why couldn’t he pull himself free!? Luke extended his arm out, trying to reach for him when the miasma latched onto him, like it was _alive_.

_‘Dreh ni unt ahrk krif nii… 1’_

More and more miasma surrounded him, grabbing him, dragging him further and further away from his brother and he was _powerless_ to do anything! He watched with horror as the miasma moved and started to swallow up his brother as well.

_‘Hi fen kos dii… 2’_

And just as the miasma swallowed him up, the last thing he could hear was the chilling, unhinged laughter of a woman.

“ASCH, NO-!” Luke bolted upright, his eyes snapping wide open as he looked around in a panic. Cold sweat clung to him and his heart raced, mouth completely dry.

“Luke-? Luke what’s wrong?” Guy asked as he got up, seeing his dragon in a state of panic. Luke’s eyes darted around frantically before he settled his gaze on Guy, his body relaxing near instantly, seeing the familiar face. “Are you okay, what happened?”

“It’s… it was just a nightmare…” Luke muttered, pushing his sweat soaked bangs out of his face. “A really… terrible nightmare…”

“Do you want to talk abo-” Luke shook his head, pulling his knees up to his chest. Guy scooted closer and draped his arms around him, wrapping him in a warm, loving embrace.

“I’m here for you.”

Luke took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, the knot in the pit of his stomach refusing to come undone. That was more than just a nightmare, that was a warning…

Asch… 

It was likely too late for him now.

_Sylph Redecan, Loreleiday 55 N.D. 2018_

“Hey, Luke. You need anything?” Guy asked as he approached the dragon from behind. Luke had been standing out on the deck of the warship, gripping the railing tightly with a somewhat serious look on his face. “Or, I guess I should ask if you’re alright?” he mused with a half smile.

“I’m alright. Just… thinking about a lot of things.”

“Anything you want to talk about?” he asked as he stepped up to Luke’s side, leaning against the railing with him.

The redhead hesitated for a moment, looking like he wanted to say something but in the end he decided against it, shaking his head. Guy felt slightly affronted, but he didn’t pry. Luke was always extremely sensitive when it came to his relationship to Asch and Lorelei, and he was almost positive that was what the dragon was thinking about given last night’s nightmare... It was severe enough to make him shout in his sleep. Besides, their relationship with each other was pretty solid and open now, so if Luke wanted to talk with him, he would.

“Ah, actually there is one thing,” Luke said as he dug around into his backpack, pulling out the large orange-gold crystal. Guy looked pretty confused- since when did Luke get his hands on a crystal like that? “It’s solidified, pure magic channeled through Lorelei; specifically all the magic that was in Baticul. When you concentrate enough mana into a small area and apply enough pressure, it solidifies and creates crystals like these. The colour depends on which god the mana is channeled through. They’re incredibly rare and almost never occur naturally.”

“It’s really beautiful, Luke.” Guy eyed the crystal, seeing its sparkle and almost ethereal shimmer. Wow, pure magic… This world was so incredibly amazing!

“Usually when one’s found by a creature of magic, they eat it to boost their abilities and reduce strain on spell casting.”

“…They eat the crystal?” Guy asked, dumbfounded. “Wait- ease the strain of spell casting? Why didn’t you eat it?”

“I ate the one in Grand Chokmah. I was still processing all of that magic when I made this one. Eating this one would have completely overwhelmed me and made the mana strain I suffered ten times worse. It’s- it gives you magic that you don’t have to pull in yourself to use for spell casting, but your body still has to process it and that is what leads to strain-”

“I… really don’t understand the rules of magic.” Guy sighed heavily, scratching the back of his head. Even when Luke actually took the time to explain things, it made very little sense to him.

“You don’t have to, you’re human.”

Guy shook his head. “That’s not good enough. This is a major component to the world that I live in, it’s what you _are_ , and I want to know and understand it.”

Luke looked surprised for a moment before a fond smile came to his face. “There’s the reason I chose to take a chance with you,” he said to himself, looking down at the crystal. “I brought this up because I want you to have this.” he said, placing the crystal into Guy’s hands.

“You- you’re giving this to me?” Luke nodded. “You, the dragon that used to try and steal the gald coins I carried to make yourself a makeshift hoard? You’re giving me this invaluable, shiny crystal?”

“…I can take it back, you know.” Luke frowned.

“No, no, I love it! I’m just… surprised. Dragons aren’t usually as charitable in the old stories.”

“Well, you’re my mate and I care about you…” Luke scuffed his feet at the floorboards and felt his cheeks grow hot. “I just thought that it would be a nice gift.”

Guy smiled warmly at him and pulled him in for a tight hug. “It is. Thank you, Luke. If I ever get back to Hod one of these days, I’ll be sure to display it somewhere nice.”

“I’m glad,” he hummed softly, closing his eyes as he rested his head against Guy’s chest. “I know I don’t exactly say it a whole lot but, I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Guy smiled, leaning in to place a much needed kiss against the redhead’s cheek.

_Sylph Redecan, Gnomeday 56 N.D. 2018_

With only three more hours before their arrival at Yulia city, the group gathered together in the princess’ quarters, clustered around a large table where they tried to draw up and finalize their battle plans. The mounting pressure as the clock ticked down did very little to help ease their frayed nerves; two hours were needlessly toiled away as they argued in circles, unable to come up with any one plan. There was far too many variables for them to take into proper consideration, and agreeing on any one thing seemed impossible as at this point, they had no information to go on. 

“-I don’t like the idea of placing Tear upfront and center,” Ion shook his head, looking out at the rest of the group. “It’s much too vulnerable a position. She could easily be attacked!”

“How else would the elves see her though?” Anise argued, “If we want to sway them back under her banner and potentially aid us, she needs to make her presence known!”

“Tear could ride in on Luke’s back?” Meryl suggested but Luke shook his head.

“Out of the question. Jade and I will be on the lookout for Asch and Sync covertly. Besides, if they try to bind us again, I don’t want to be anywhere near you guys.” he glanced over at Guy and felt a dull pain in his stomach.

“Luke has a point,” Jade sighed, pushing his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. “Tear, what do you think? Considering that this is your life on the line here.”

“...Anise is right, I need to be visible, for my people.” the princess nodded.

“I can stay with you for added protection,” Guy said as he raised his hand. “If Jade uses his illusion magic to disguise us as elves, we’ll be far less likely to be outright attacked-”

“My, my. Volunteering my powers? Aren’t you feeling daring, Gailardia?” Jade hummed.

“Jade,” Luke snapped a bit harshly, his patience wearing thin after the hours of endless arguing. “Just do it, alright?”

“Alright, alright. Everyone, line up please.” he instructed and the humans did so. One by one, Jade used his magic, disguising each and every human as a full blooded elf. Anise and Meryl spun around happily, peering into the large mirror on the wall to admire their newest features.

“Oh, I look absolutely divine!” Meryl beamed with glee.

“I look so cute!” Anise grinned, turning on her heels to face her Divine, “Ion, what do you th- oh my gods! You look so precious!” she gasped, face reddening a little.

“Y-You think so…?” Ion chuckled weakly.

“Yes! I just want to pinch those ears of yours!” Meryl said, edging closer though Luke took hold of her dress to keep her from acting on that impulse.

“Do that and the illusion breaks,” he warned, releasing her. It was… bizarre, looking at all of them like this. Truth be told he could hardly even recognize them. What _really_ caught his attention however was Guy. He was positively _striking_ as an elf- those ears, his eyes, the markings… “I… Wow,” was all he could manage to say, failing horribly at keeping the blush from creeping up onto his cheeks.

“You don’t even try to hide it anymore, do you?” Jade sighed and Anise snickered.

“I find it endearing how much you look at one another and say things like that,” Meryl sighed dreamily.

“I still don’t understand it.” Tear muttered, shaking her head.

“It’s not for all of you to comment on!” Luke huffed in a mixture of anger and embarrassment. He snapped his fingers and swapped into his elven form for the first time, rolling his glowing eyes as he shook his head. It was now Guy’s turn to be taken aback by the _beauty_ before him. Seeing Luke look like an elf completely added to the mysticism that surrounded his being.

“Guy? You’re drooling.” Meryl cleared her throat and Guy awkwardly straightened up, wiping off his chin as his face flushed darkly. How embarrassing…

“Aaaaanyway,” Anise rolled her eyes, resting her hands on her hips. “Now that we know how badly those two have it, rest of the plan. Go.”

“...If Tear’s going to be in the center, then… Alright, I want everyone here to dress in elven armor except for Anise and Ion. Jade, you and I will wear the full faced helmets. Anise, Ion, you’re too small to wear the armor, so we’re going to set you up in some spare elven clothing onboard the ship, make sure you equip your armor underneath it.” he instructed as they nodded.

“Do you have a plan, Luke?” Meryl asked as Luke leaned over the map on the table, grabbing the ink and pen.

“We stand the greatest chance of survival with this formation-“ he started to mark it out, using various symbols to represent each person. “Tear in the center, Meryl at her left and Guy at her right. Anise and Ion will trail behind her, while Jade and myself take the rear and blend in with the rest of the elven guard.”

“That does sound good… but with something this bulky, we’d have to march directly into the city towards the palace.” Tear noted.

“Exactly. We’re facing against Van head on. We need to- we need the elven people to see _you_ Tear, just like Anise said, and see how your brother acts against you. If he isn’t completely stupid, the best case scenario is that he surrenders and you assume the throne immediately. Worst… he attacks you, but it’ll be in front of everyone, and we will damn well make sure that you are safe.” He nodded at her.

“What about the dragons?” Anise asked as Luke looked a bit grim.

“Exposure to that much miasma for this long,” Jade spoke up, looking over at Luke, “You know what will most likely happen, yes?”

Luke grit his teeth. “If I give the word, you have my permission to strike down Asch and Sync.” 

The room went dead silent as everyone stared at the redhead.

“No way... ! Luke, what are you talking about?!” Anise gasped loudly.

“Miasma exposure mutates living tissue over a long period of time. It’s very likely that Asch and Sync are unrecognizable by now.” Jade pushed his glasses up and Luke winced, his ears drooping a little. “Which, at that point, ending their existence as fast as possible is far kinder than trying to expel the miasma from their bodies.”

“Luke…” Guy felt his heart sink. He knew that it meant a lot to have to admit that his brother might be beyond salvation but Guy knew that Luke would make the right call when it came down to it. And if there was a chance Asch still could be saved, well, Guy would be the first to volunteer getting that damn collar off of him to give Luke the chance to purge the miasma. He hated to admit it, but he at least had a bit of experience when it came to fighting dragons now...

"Then all we have left to do is... get ready and wait." Tear said softly, wringing her hands together nervously. Half an hour left…

Yulia city awaits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Do not try and fight it...  
> 2 You will be mine...


	34. Viidost'suf

“Asto’re!1” An elf had called out from high above on the ship’s masts, and the other elves aboard the warship started to scramble, drawing the sails and pulling the ropes to get ready to dock. Yulia city was within view now, Luke and Jade both at the railings scanning the skies for any possible means of aerial attack. There were no dragons to be seen, there was no torrent of arrows raining down on them- that was a good sign, at least. Still, it didn’t mean that they could relax just yet.

“Keep your guard up,” Jade warned to Luke as the both of them put on their helmets, completing the elven armor they were donning. They headed over towards the rest of their group but stayed at a distance, taking up their positions in rear point.

The ship docked in the harbor to the rear of the city, where a bunch of guards and elven citizens awaited to cheer on the heroes that had slaughtered those selfish, disgusting humans. The side of the ship opened up, a grand staircase extending out to the docks where Tear, accompanied by Meryl and Guy at her sides, stepped out. The crowd hushed in a stunned silence, the guards standing at full attention as she approached.

“Q-Quel’dorei! Neph’anis forini talah dath’su!2” One saluted her. The elven people immediately dropped to their knees, bowing deeply.

“Dorei’ki!3”  
“Dorei’ki!”  
“Alah’shan Dorei’ki!4” they whispered, chanted even.

“Ishnu ethala. Talah’dur u’phol’belore isera’duna. Fulo’amana al ashar.5” Tear spoke so eloquently and fluidly. The elves however looked quite uncertain, so Tear spoke the truth. “My brother has lied to you all! I was never kidnapped by any humans. He threw me into the dungeons to usurp the throne and use that power to enslave the guardians!” The entire crowd gasped collectively with horror. “The humans helped me escape, but it was too late and my brother ordered the attack on humanity! They are innocent! We must stop Vandesdelca before-“

Luke’s ears twitched, and he sprang forwards next to Tear, catching an arrow mere inches away from her chest. Luke looked up to the roof of a building where an archer lay in wait.

“Meryl!” he yelled.

“On it!” she drew her bow, shooting an arrow directly into their back as they tried to make a getaway.

Scared, worried murmurs arose in the crowd; sharp gasps and cries sounded as someone had dared attempt to assassinate the princess in front of everyone. “Keep ready, Tear,” Guy said softly as his hand rested on the hilt of his blade, eyes scanning the crowd for anyone looking suspicious.

Another arrow was shot, one that was aimed directly for the princess’ head which thankfully, Jade caught, Meryl taking out this new assailant as well. The guards behind Tear moved up to surround her, holding their shields up high over her head to provide some cover, extending their spears out to keep anyone on the outside at bay. “We must get to the palace immediately!” Tear urged, leading them away from the docks as quickly as she could.

As they pushed further into the city, more and more arrows were unleashed on them until a hail of arrows rained down upon them, killing several of the guards. The shields the guards provided did wonders in deflecting them and providing cover, but with more and more guards falling, their last line of defense was weakening quickly. It was beginning to look grim. The palace was just beyond the marketplace, they were so close!

As a last resort, Tear held out her hands and started to cast a spell, a soft, golden light enveloping the area as she muttered an incantation.

And then time froze.

Luke and Jade blinked, looking around to see everything and everyone frozen in place save for Tear who had collapsed onto her hands and knees, breathing heavily. Luke instantly bent down to help her back up. “You two… weren’t affected?” she panted a little as Luke snorted.

“You’re talking to immortal beings that exist outside of time’s constraints.” he nearly boasted as Jade looked around.

“I am truly impressed that you managed a time spell of this caliber… You really are a direct descendant of Yulia.” Jade said in astonishment.

“Save the praise for later, Tear can’t keep up this spell for long. Let’s grab everyone and _move_.” Luke ordered.

Time restarted when everyone had been moved to the palace, safely within the walls. The group stood there, dazed and disoriented as Luke and Jade both pushed the heavy double doors closed, sealing them inside. Best to keep the likelihood of anyone else coming in to an absolute minimum.

“Where…?” Anise mumbled, looking around. “We’re in the palace..? What the-?”

“How did that happen?” Meryl stumbled a little, glancing around in quite the spooked manner.

“Was that some sort of teleportation spell?” Guy asked confusedly, looking around them.

“Time magic,” Luke supplied easily, “Tear cast a spell that stopped time and we moved you.”

“Luke, do you sense that?” Jade asked and Luke paused, glancing around before he stiffened. “There’s an abundance of miasma here. We should proceed with caution.”

“Where is it coming from?” Tear questioned.

“The throne room… Let’s head out.” Luke nodded and carefully moved alongside with Jade, allowing Guy to take point as Tear gave them directions to the throne room. They stood outside the double doors, hesitant to go in and see what lay beyond… There was such a high concentration of miasma in there, it was very likely that both the enslaved guardians would be there… They looked between themselves, and with nods of resolved, the forced open the doors and stormed in, their weapons raised.

The throne room was vastly empty, no guards, no poison gas, no nothing, save for Van who was seated on the throne. He had a massive, thick cloak wrapped around him, and hadn’t really paid much attention to their arrival, not until Tear ran over towards him, the angriest of expressions on her face.

“Van!” she yelled, and slowly, his eyes moved to look at her.

“Ah… I had heard you escaped from the dungeons… I didn’t think you would be stupid enough to come back here.” he muttered, looking entirely unimpressed as the rest of the group ran to catch up with her. “Oh, good. You’ve brought me back her property,” he said in reference to Luke and Jade; Luke snarled at that. “Her eminence will be most pleased.” An almost sickening grin came to the man’s face.

“Her eminence…?” Meryl asked confusedly. Van stood up, looking down on them with disdain and disgust.

“Mother of Mistrust; Mistress of Misfortune and Maladies; Dame of Death and Decay- though it’s no wonder you humans have never heard of her ladyship.” He snorted, seeing right through Jade’s illusion spells. “I wouldn’t imagine either of the guardians have heard of her, either.” Luke racked his brain, trying to recall anything about this supposed dark lady, a possible eighth god, _something_! He was drawing a blank. He was drawing a complete blank, not even Lorelei had told him anything about that!

“Liar!” Luke hissed, drawing his weapon.

Van laughed, allowing the cloak to drop from his shoulders to reveal a heavily mutated body beneath. Feathers had sprouted from one arm (badly hidden underneath rolls of bandages), the other had almost turned to stone!

“ _Brother_!” Tear gasped, bringing her hands up to her mouth as she stared in horror. Van licked his teeth as he grinned, gleefully.

"He's obviously out of his mind." Guy spat, looking quickly to Tear then back to Van.

"Is the miasma driving him to think this is... okay?" Ion worked out, keeping back with Anise at his side. She looked pale, almost nauseous. How could someone let this happen to themselves? And willingly?

“Obviously.” Luke said, raising his sword as he broadened his stance, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. “Stand down and surrender the throne, right now!” Luke commanded but Van tossed his head back and laughed, loud enough to fill the entire throne room with a haunting echo that made the humans shrink back in fear.

“Fool, this is so much more than who rules whom! Her ladyship has been crying for solidity and physical form for eons. No one has been willing to listen to her, or even acknowledge that she exists. Just a little more… she needs only a little more…!” he let out an unhinged laugh and Luke grit his teeth. Meryl quickly drew her bow and fired an arrow, the projectile bouncing off a forcefield that had surrounded Van within a thick purple mist. 

“The miasma… he’s controlling it?!” she gasped, stepping backwards.

“Either that or it’s protecting him!” Jade snapped, summoning forth a long spear. Tear held her hands out, sensing the shifting mana in the room, ready to cast spells when needed as Meryl and Guy readied their weapons, and Anise pushed Ion back towards a corner of the room, drawing her weapon. “Everyone get ready!” Jade called out as Van cried out loudly, drawing the Jewel of Gardios and rushing down the stairs to charge them. “Don’t let that blade touch you!”

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” Luke narrowly avoided that oncoming attack and dodged, bringing his sword up to stop Van’s blade from cleaving into his head. With a grunt he swung widely, exposing the man’s torso for Jade to step in and get a shot with his spear. Van anticipated this and ducked down, kicking his leg out to sweep Jade off of his own feet. Luke caught Meryl’s movement out of the corner of his eye and he backflipped away as the Queen unleashed a barrage of arrows upon the man, all of them being deflected by that damnable mist. Tear started to sing a spell, manifesting in a torrent of water that flooded down from above on top of Van in an attempt to simply wash the poison away- to no effect.

Jade threw his spear, causing Van to turn and swing his blade to deflect it, sending the spear flying off to the other side of the room. Luke used this opportunity to strike, only for Van to counter with a magic based arte, exploding in the dragon’s abdomen which flung Luke into the opposite wall.

“You alright?!” Meryl asked worriedly as Luke extracted himself, breathing hard.

“I’ve taken worse hits. Focus!”

The knight rushed in, attempting an upward strike yet Van deflected the blow. Before he could turn that into a strike against Guy, Jade's spear just narrowly managed to nick the side of Van's torso yet all it seemed to do was draw his attention, nothing more.

"Don't give up!" Guy barked as he hopped back, Meryl putting all of her focus into another shot which ricocheted off the forcefield like the others had.

"It's not working!" She cursed, even still readying another arrow.

“Well then try something else!” Luke grunted as he rushed forwards with another thrust of his sword. Van barely dodged it, the blade managing to slice his clothing as he lurched backwards and jumped away from the group. Van scowled, raising an arm high over his head to unleash a torrent of poison gas directly at them in retaliation. Acting without thinking Luke sprinted forwards towards the purple mist, hands aglow with Lorelei’s power as he erased the miasma directly out of existence. 

Van grew enraged when he saw this, snarling like a wild animal that had been cornered. Tear was stunned by his behavior, but she didn’t stop casting, she continued to unleash spell after powerful spell just as Meryl continued to pelt him with arrows to no effect. Everything continued to just bounce off of him.

“There has to be a way to break through that barrier!” Meryl jumped backwards, putting some distance between herself and the fight as she stood there and observed for a few moments. Physical, melee attacks seemed to work best… She stomped her right foot on the ground and a dagger became dislodged from her boot, flying up to her hand. She tossed her bow aside, knowing that it would be useless to have during this fight. “Tear, focus on healing.” Meryl instructed. “We have more than enough offense.”

“R-right,” Tear nodded, stepping back herself.

The fight dragged on. Ten grueling minutes of continuous, non stop fighting that had the humans running ragged and the dragons struggling to keep Van’s attention. Tear poured her heart and soul into keeping her comrades healthy and energized, trying to revitalize their stamina as much as possible but it could only do so much for so long… The humans were being worn down… This was exhausting. Each and every blow they tried to land either held no effect whatsoever or was dodged and blocked, often times turned against them. Meryl joining in the immediate fray ensured that they were able to get more opportunities to keep the pressure on, but it seemed as if nothing would actually work. Van appeared no more weathered than he had at the beginning of the fight while Guy and Meryl struggled to keep up.

They were merely human, flesh and blood that grew tired when pushed for too long, and Guy was sure the only thing keeping them going this hard was nothing more than willpower at this point. Even that was beginning to waver as both began to grow more sluggish with each failed attempt. 

Luke had sidestepped a bit too far, exiting the man’s immediate range, and so Van lunged for Meryl. The Queen had been tossed back like a ragdoll from the impact of the blow, and Jade quickly started to jab his spear at him. 

Van continued to laugh, watching them struggle while he only flourished. “It is futile…! Her ladyship grants me strength!”

Luke staggered backwards and poised himself to launch yet another attack when a crippling headache appeared out of nowhere, forcing him down onto his knees as he cried out in pain. He could feel Lorelei’s presence at the edges of his mind, trying to force his way into control… what the hell was going on!?

“Luke?!” Jade called out, sensing what was happening. “What the hell are you doing!?”

“I-It’s not me…!”

“Force him back then!”

“I’m _TRYING!_ ” Spots dotted his vision and his ears rang loudly. He felt like his head was going to split open…!

Guy looked over at Luke briefly and knew that they were now out of time. If they could cripple Van, damage a leg, an arm, anything then they could be put at an advantage and _end_ this…!

With that idea in mind, he waited for an opening and moved in quickly when Van seemed distracted. He kept low, trying to remain as out of sight as he could before he would swing at the back of Van's legs. Much to his surprise, he'd been seen the entire time. The blond scrambled to double back and bring up his sword to deflect his family sword that was thrust straight at him.

For a moment, he thought he was fine, but the blood that he had to cough up told him he clearly wasn't. The sword was speared through his stomach and as much as the blond felt remorse, guilt, and pain, he instead took advantage of this opportunity and reached out to grab the guard of the blade, knuckles white in the tightest grip he could muster. If he couldn't fight any longer, he could damn well try to give someone else the opportunity.

Everything went silent, and time nearly came to a standstill. They all looked on, horrified, as an ugly red stain formed on Guy’s tunic, and pooled on the ground beneath him. Van sneered with victory, moving to pull the blade out found he couldn’t as Guy refused to let go of the hilt. That sneer turned to disgust when what Van had been expecting failed to happen.

“W-What the hell…?! You should be infected after a direct stab! What the hell _are_ you?!” Van tried desperately to pull the blade free.

Meryl and Jade saw this opportunity and they were not going to waste it, moving in to strike while Van was immobilized. Meryl’s dagger slashed at his side deeply, but instead of blood, miasma poured out of the wound, eating away at her blade. She dropped the now useless weapon and jumped back, looking disgusted and sick. Jade started to swing his spear wildly, aiming to impale and do as much damage as possible. Van let go of the sword, choosing to dodge the attacks at the risk of no weapon.

Tear sprinted over to Guy’s side when Van had backed off, and she aided him down onto his knees as she tried to gauge just how severe this wound was. He was starting to bleed out…! Tear grabbed the sword and pulled it out, slamming her palms onto the wound as she cast her healing magic as fast as she possibly could, healing up the stab wound in a manner of moments.

Luke tossed his head back and screamed, unable to keep Lorelei at bay any longer. Green eyes turned gold as the god took control, forcing Luke to stand back up onto his feet to look over at Van.

“Well, well… isn’t it interesting that you finally show up _now_.” Van muttered, keeping a hand clasped over his slashed side. “Are you feeling _threatened_ yet, Lorelei?”

“Lorelei!?” Anise and Ion cried out in unison, the two of them holding onto each other tightly as they looked at the redhead in silent, slightly terrified awe. How could that be…?!

“I don’t believe it…!” Tear whispered shakily, her hands trembling.

Guy grunted and grabbed hold of his family’s sword, keeping a tight grip on it, silently vowing to never allow it out of his possession ever again. He looked up to Lorelei and his shoulders sagged a bit, knowing that whatever will happen next would have negative, adverse effects to Luke’s health.

“You’re threatened by her. You know she is nearly complete,” Van continued on as Lorelei watched him with cold, calculating eyes. Van snarled, put off by this. “Are you just going to _stand_ there?!”

Lorelei swiped his hand through the air, and a gigantic, foreign looking magical glyph appeared beneath Van’s feet, forcibly binding him and making him unable to move. Jade and Tear held their breath, that level of magic was theoretically _impossible_! Lorelei then moved, walking over until he stood directly in front of Van.

“You’re not the one I need to talk to,” the god replied, summoning Luke’s claws which he used to pierce Van’s chest. Tear covered her ears as Van screamed, closing her eyes tightly to try and drown everything out. _This was just a bad dream, that’s all this was, it was a bad dream!_

Lorelei had been searching for something within Van, prodding around until he found it. It reacted negatively to his presence, a flash of purple latching onto his arm tightly. Lorelei quickly pulled his arm out and jumped back, watching as miasma spilled out from the wound. More and more came flooding out, until Van’s body itself started to slowly liquefy into miasma, the man’s yells turning into strained gurgles before he vanished completely into a puddle on the floor.

Tear wanted to throw up.

A heavy silence hung in the air. 

Was… was it all over?

The miasma started to _move_ , twisting upwards into the air, taking form. Jade grabbed hold of Meryl and pulled her back, staring wide eyed at the sight before him. The miasma became a young woman with sickly pale skin, and long, dark hair that acted like smoke. She laughed in glee as her body formed, taking in a deep breath of air, “Two hundred and eighty five _thousand_ years…!” She looked on to the redhead, thick clouds of miasma surrounding her. “It’s _so_ good to see you again, brother. It means _so_ much to me that you’re here for my homecoming.”

"Tear..." Guy started, "Who is she?"

“I-I..." Tear stuttered, unable to work any response. The power in this room was _overwhelming_ , to the point where it felt like she was suffocating. There was no way for her to respond, how could she when she had never seen anything even remotely like this before? There had been nothing about this in elven lore, nothing in history texts. This woman, made out of pure miasma, dared to call Lorelei her brother? Tear sat there, in a stunned silence, hands falling to the wayside as she stared on, unable to comprehend this.

“You celebrate far too early if you think I’ll allow you free reign-“ Lorelei started but the woman burst out laughing.

“Oh, Lorelei,” she rolled her eyes, “You and your fellow gods are sealed, your host is about to give out on you,” he quickly wiped the blood away from his nose, “and I am _stronger_ than I have ever been before. Centuries of war and greed have been steadily feeding me, and now that I have my body back, I am going to finish what I had started long ago!” she cackled, snapping her fingers.

There was movement on the ceiling, and everyone looked up to see the two dragons that Van had enslaved, Asch and Sync, crawling down the walls from the rafters overhead. Their colours were practically gone, now nearly a dark, uniform purple, their eyes reddened and enraged, miasma spilling from their mouths.

Tear brought her hands up to her mouth to keep herself from screaming. “W-What have you done to them?!” she shrieked, the two dragons moving over and curling themselves around the miasmic woman.

“I’ve returned them to their original state, to fulfill their original purpose.” she laughed as Asch hissed, exhaling a thick cloud of miasma into the air. “Dragons are, after all, _my_ original creation.” 

Jade looked like he was going to be sick. 

The miasmic woman looked back to Lorelei, seeing the pain on his face, “You really must give that body back soon if you want him to survive. Of course, you’ll have to go back to your prison and remain there all alone, unable to do a damn thing while I roam free.” She grinned, gently petting Sync’s snout. “You, and the rest of the gods will suffer just as I have! The world will _suffer_ for what you did to me!” she screamed angrily, the ground breaking apart beneath her as large amounts of miasma splashed up into the air. When it fell, she, along with the two dragons, were nowhere to be seen.

Lorelei held his hand out and purified all of the miasma in the room, making it far easier to breathe. Jade snapped out of his stunned stupor and stalked over to the redhead, grabbing him by the collar.

“Let him go, Lorelei! You’ll kill him!”

“You have… to find us,” Lorelei spoke, his voice strained and painful sounding. He held up his hands and created a crystal, on it, a map of the world with seven different locations marked. “Find us… and release us…” Blood ran from his nose and ears, his hands trembling. The crystal fell from his grasp as Luke’s body gave out, forcibly ejecting the god’s presence. Luke went limp in Jade’s grasp, and the blue dragon went wide eyed as he quickly put him on the ground and checked for a pulse.

There was none.

“Kul do…!6” he cursed, immediately moving in to perform chest compressions followed by rescue breaths.

Luke sputtered and coughed, gasping for air as his eyes shot open. His arms flailed around wildly and he ended up whacking Jade in the face. “Zu'u nis koraav! Zu'u nis koraav!7” he cried out in a state of panic and Jade stared at the redhead.

Oh no…

Jade put his hand over Luke’s eyes and muttered a small incantation, forcing the redhead to sleep.

“Is he going to be alright?!” Meryl asked with worry as she hurried over.

“Yes, he’ll be alright, amazingly… I’m not sure how he managed to survive through that.” Jade let out a somewhat shaky breath as he ran a hand through his hair.

“C-can someone explain to me what the hell just happened!?” Anise shouted. “What was with Van, and then that miasma lady?! And then Lorelei just took over Luke?!”

Jade rested his chin in his hands, going into thought to reflect upon the actions that just took place, and cobble together as much information as possible. "Van had been harboring this miasma creature within him for who knows how long. She may or may not be another Goddess, I've never heard of her." Jade shrugged. "Judging by Lorelei's reaction to her though, I'm thinking she is, but the other gods don’t take too kindly to her. In any case, Lorelei forced his way into Luke to take control to face off against Van, and that _should_ have killed him. Even for a dragon, that much power is overwhelming and can cause our bodies to fail.”

“You said he’d be alright though…” Guy stumbled closer, sheathing his family’s blade.

“Well, alright is subjective.” Jade said as he pushed his glasses up, clearing his throat. “As long as he’s still alive, that’s what matters considering this miasma problem was just taken to an entirely new level…”

“Jade, what aren’t you telling us?” Guy asked sternly.

“Lorelei staying within Luke’s body for such an extended period of time has led to a permanent injury from which he will never recover.”

“Injury?!” Meryl gasped, looking to Luke. “What happened to him?!”

“Luke is blind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Hail!  
> 2 Y-Your highness! We are relieved to see you are safe!  
> 3 Princess!  
> 4 Blessed Princess!  
> 5 My people. Lay down your arms and open your ears. I'm here to speak the truth.  
> 6 Son of a...!  
> 7 I can't see! I can't see!


	35. Union

_Luna Redecan, Remday 13 N.D. 2018_

The sun beat down on the palace gardens, warming the air and the soil that Guy’s hands toiled through clumsily. Feeling the earth between his fingers was always a relaxing sensation, and a good way to keep his hands busy whenever he didn’t have any of his machinery to work with. As he picked away at a few weeds that had cropped up into the flower plant, he sighed softly when his memory flashed back to his old sword instructor. Old Pere had been quite the man; smart, kind, patient, and he loved to garden. Pere had been old and somewhat small, but he was just as strong and ever patient, a good rock that Guy had desperately needed after the death of his family. Ah, if he ever got back to Hod one of these old days, he’d be sure to swing by the man’s grave to pay proper respects. It had been far too long.

As he quietly worked, he could recall the core philosophy Pere taught him back in lessons: wielding a sword is a dangerous endeavor and not one to be taken lightly. It is important to ground yourself and never forget your roots, lest you forget your humanity.

Guy chuckled dryly as he pulled out another weed, bringing a hand up to wipe away the sweat from his brow. “You have no idea how right you were, Pere,” he muttered as he sat back and looked at his handiwork. The garden was now weed free, the dead flowers removed and the broken stems and extra leaves trimmed away. Pleased with his progress, he pulled himself up to his feet and wiped his hands on his trousers, noticing movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned and found elven maid standing nearby, smoothing out the skirt of her uniform.

“Excuse me, Master Gailardia, I was instructed to inform you that Ban’Dinoriel has awakened, and is requesting for you.” she said, bowing to him courteously.

His eyes lit up, elated to hear such news. “Thank you so much for telling me!” he said excitedly before dashing off, making a break for the guest room that Tear had so graciously provided to them. Luke had been forced asleep via Jade’s spell for a little over a week now. Truth be told, it had honestly started to worry him that perhaps there had been other damage, aside from the blindness, as the result of Lorelei overstaying his welcome. Thankfully, upon returning to the room to find Luke sitting upright, that didn’t seem to be the case. “Hey, you,” Guy smiled sweetly at him, “How’re you feeling?”

“Tired… My head still kind of hurts. Also confused because I have bandages over my eyes.” Luke mumbled, bringing a hand up to feel them.

“Ah, yeah… That. Well, how do I explain this...?” Guy carded a hand through his hair and exhaled slowly.

“I already know I’m blind. I’m just wondering why you guys bothered to put bandages on me.” Luke said as he pulled the gauze off, discarding it off to the side. He opened up his eyes and glanced around, seeing nothing but inky blackness surrounding him in every direction. It was very disorienting and disconcerting.

“You do? Well, glad I didn’t have to break the news to you and be the bad guy on that front…” Guy sighed softly, shaking his head as he crossed his arms.

“Yeah, I was… _painfully_ aware of everything that Lorelei was doing while he hijacked my body, and what the results were. I can’t believe he did that… and it _hurt_ , too. I seriously thought my head was going to split open from the pressure he was putting on me.” Luke pulled his knees up to his chest. 

“Are you alright?” Guy asked with concern, leaning against the doorway.

“Do you ever… I don’t know, regret a lot of the choices you have made in life?”

Guy was slightly taken aback by the choice of topic. “Everyone carries regret with them in some form or other, Luke,“ he started, but the dragon shook his head.

“Every choice I have made since we started on this… whatever this is, has had seriously negative repercussions. _Every_ choice.”

“That’s not true, Luke.”

“Yes! It is!” Luke cried out as he glanced over to Guy’s general direction. “Failing to stop the war between Kimlasca and Malkuth fast enough allowed the miasma to fester and collapse Padamiya. Lowering the outerlands led to Tear being overthrown and the elves declaring war on humanity! A _miasma goddess_ is out there, running lose, undoubtedly unleashing havoc upon the rest of the world, and Asch is-!” he choked back a sob, his left hand clutching the locket around his neck tightly. “I can’t… I can’t even feel him anymore... Even when he died, I could still feel his soul through my connection with Lorelei, but now it’s like he never even existed…!” he whimpered.

“Luke…”

“I just want to go back to my stupid cave, bury myself underneath my hoard and wake up from this _nightmare_!” he yelled, squeezing his eyes shut tightly as he grabbed at his hair. “I can’t even see anymore! How can I possibly do _anything_ now?!”

Guy exhaled sharply and moved over to the bedside, taking a seat beside his dragon, gently placing his hand onto his shoulder. “You have done so many amazing, incredibly brave things, Luke. You are smart, you are talented, you are a natural leader and have kept all of us going. No one could have predicted that… that _any_ of this would happen, and because of that, you cannot pin blame on yourself.”

“Daath was destroyed, _Baticul_ was destroyed!” Luke tried to protest, but Guy didn’t want to hear it.

“There was absolutely nothing that you could have done about Daath. You were still tightly bound at the time with the seal. And with Baticul? You did everything you possibly could to help. Sometimes, bad things just happen because the circumstances are outside of our control.”

“I am just so _tired_ , Guy…” Luke’s shoulders sagged.

“I know you are,” he reached out and pulled Luke in for a sorely needed embrace, “You have every right to be.” Luke sniffled as he turned his head to hide his face away in Guy’s chest, the knight gently smoothing his hair down in soothing pats. “Right now, we have some downtime to catch our breath. With Van gone, Tear’s back on the throne and is currently working with Peony and Meryl to establish laws, trade, and treaties.”

“Peony’s here?” Luke asked softly and Guy nodded.

“Yeah. Mieu, too. They’re over in the throne room right now if you want to go talk to them. I’m sure they’d be happy to see that you’re awake- if you’re up for it, I mean.”

Luke was quiet for a couple of moments before he straightened up and rubbed at his eyes. “I… yeah. It’ll be good for me to get out of bed and talk to people. I also… need to learn how to get around like… this…” he trailed off for a second, staring at Guy.

“Luke?” Guy blinked, watching the dragon lean in towards him, squinting. “Is everything… okay?”

“...It’s really faint, but I _can_ see you.” he said and a huge smile came to Guy’s face.

“You can!? That’s wonderful-” Luke shook his head and Guy furrowed his brows. “What? If you can see-”

“It’s… different, not anything at all like how I used to see things. Everything is still dark, but around you there’s this faint outline… It’s kind of orange in colour. I can barely make out your shape.”

“An outline?” Guy quirked his brow, looking down at himself. “I don’t see anything, Luke.”

“Sounds to me like you’re seeing Guy’s mana frequency,” Jade’s voice cut in, Guy peering over his shoulder to see the dragon in the doorway with his hands in his pockets. “Try swapping over to your elven form and see if that helps clear things up.”

Luke did just that, and immediately his ears started to twitch around as they picked up every little sound in that room. What was a faint, barely visible outline of orange was now bright and vibrant, radiating off of Guy and illuminating part of the darkness around him. He glanced over to Jade and saw the dragon’s royal blue aura, far larger than Guy’s own, filling the space around him. “Whoa… I can make out part of the bed, and see the whole doorway. This is so weird…”

“Weird, but useful.” Jade said as he brought his hands around behind his back. “The fact that you’re not completely in the dark as I had previously anticipated is quite the boon. Should you learn to navigate around with this varied sight of yours, we’ll be back in business.”

“I’m going to have to; it’s not like I have a choice on the matter,” Luke muttered a bit bitterly, “Lorelei gave us our next task after all.”

“Yes, about that. I had the crystal that Lorelei created analyzed and the locations marked down. We have a very solid idea of where all the various gods are located throughout the world. The only questions we have now are: how do we release them, and why were they even sealed in the first place?”

“Lorelei made damn well sure to engrave the unsealing instructions into my brain before he left, so we’re covered on that front. As for why they’re sealed, you’re asking the wrong dragon. Lorelei is very… cryptic with information sometimes. That seems to be something that’s being kept shut up tight under lock and key.”

“Strange. Then again the gods work in very strange ways so this is nothing new. Gailardia,” Jade turned his attention over to the blond, “I would like to speak with you for a moment.”

“Me?” Guy blinked. “Why do I suddenly feel like I’m back at the military encampment and I’m in trouble…?”

“Come now, speaking with me is a _joy_ that you should take _delight_ in.” Jade grinned, much to Guy’s discomfort.

“Yeah, sure it is…” Luke rolled his eyes.

“Honestly,” Jade sighed, “And to think I went out of my way to resuscitate you, you ungrateful heathen.” Luke paled considerably upon hearing this.

“Resuscitate… as in… Oh _gods_ , that is _disgusting_!” Luke nearly gagged, looking downright repulsed to which Jade had to hold back a laugh.

“Feeling’s mutual.”

“That’s it, you two have your weird chat. I’m going to the throne room.” Luke said as he got up and off the bed, looking around carefully to try and figure his way over to the doorway.

“By yourself? You realize that without other living beings around you, navigation will be impossible.”

“Shut up, I can do this on my own-” Luke’s foot collided with an ottoman and he tripped forwards, crashing onto the ground.

“You were saying?” Jade tried to hide the amusement in his tone.

“I swear to Rem, if you pushed that out in front of me…”

“He didn’t,” Guy said as he aided Luke back up to his feet. “You sure you can make it there on your own? I can help you get there-”

“I’ll flag a servant down if I really need the help. I need to learn how to do this on my own. Besides, do you _really_ want to make Jade wait on you?” Luke raised a brow and Guy swallowed hard, looking back over at the dragon whose grin remained ever present.

“...Luke, please don’t leave me alone with him-” Jade clapped a hand onto Guy’s shoulder and tightened his grip.

“Relax, Master Gailardia. I promise I don’t bite.”

 

It had taken Luke around a half hour to make his way over to the throne room, compared to the usual eight minutes from the guest wing. He ended up having to flag down a servant for an escort, much to his frustration and wounded pride. Upon entry to the throne room, he could vaguely make out three, no four, different mana frequencies at the far end. Teal, blue-purple, light blue, and silver. As he approached, it was easier to see whose was whose. Whatever conversation they were having died down when they took notice of his arrival.

“Luke~!” Peony chimed with a grin before he stopped and gasped loudly. “You look _awesome_ like that! Those ears really suit you, you know.”

“Ah… Thanks, I suppose?” Luke flushed a little.

“Jade filled me in on what happened, and damn, kid, I am sorry.”

“...You do realize that I’m older than you by a lot, right?” Luke asked and Peony waved a hand dismissively.

“You’re still a juvenile for your kind. And, as an adult for my kind, that means I have seniority.”

“No it doesn’t, but I’ll let you keep thinking that.” Luke snorted.

“How is your vision?” Meryl asked, looking him over with worry. “If you’re up and walking around, I am hoping this means that Jade was mistaken...”

“Unfortunately, no he was not. My vision is severely impaired. But, also thanks to Lorelei’s intervention, I can _somewhat_ see with the help of mana frequencies.” Luke supplied.

“I’ve never heard anyone being able to hear mana frequencies consciously, let alone using them to ‘see’,” Tear furrowed her brows as she stepped up to them, carrying Mieu in her arms. “But then again, Lorelei is the god of sound so it’s not at all that farfetched. It’s good to see you up and around, though. We were all greatly worried about you.”

Luke shot her an appreciative smile. “Thank you-”

“You left me behind!” Mieu’s shrill voice hit his ears and he cringed, taking a step back away from the elven princess. “Do you know how scared I was when you suddenly disappeared?!”

“Sorry, Mieu. I… actually don’t know where you were during Grand Chokmah’s attack, I woke up in the middle of all that. Either way, it was very dangerous and carrying you with us would have put you at risk. I’m sorry that I worried you, though. I’m alright, I promise.”

“Will you leave me behind again?” the cheagle’s ears drooped.

“No, I won’t.” he held his arms out and Tear passed Mieu along into his grasp. The cheagle scurried up his arm and perched on his shoulder, taking a moment to nuzzle up against his cheek lovingly. “By the way,” Luke turned his attention back to the royals, using a hand to absentmindedly pet Mieu, “I hope I’m not interrupting anything too important. Guy told me that you were going over laws or something?”

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” Peony replied casually, “We pretty much went over the bulk of laws and the like days ago. At this point we’re going over formalities. But, there is some big news that we have to share with you.”

“Big news?” Luke parroted and Peony nodded, draping an arm around Meryl’s shoulders.

“We’re getting married!” Meryl announced excitedly.

Stunned was a good word to describe how Luke felt… he wasn’t quite sure just how to react to that, exactly. “Con… gratulations?” he asked.

“It’s for our people. We’re unifying our lands and merging Kingdoms, as a show of commitment to peace.” Meryl smiled, leaning into Peony slightly. “Ion will be officiating the ceremony, and Tear has so graciously offered Yulia city as a neutral venue.”

“When did this happen, exactly?” Luke asked.

“This morning. I proposed the idea to her and Meryl told me to get down on one knee and ask her properly.” Peony weakly chuckled.

“Honestly, when you ask a lady, you ask her properly! You didn’t even have a ring with you!” Meryl pouted.

“It was just a suggestion, and one I didn’t expect you to take seriously.” Peony laughed.

“I never really understood the human concepts of marriage very well, but if it makes you guys happy?” he shrugged. 

Meryl giggled softly. “It’s the thought that counts. We’re having the ceremony in two weeks- I know, I know, that’s very last minute, but with what happened with Van and the miasma goddess, we’re on a time table.”

“Well, I wish you two the best of luck-” his ears twitched upon hearing Guy’s frequency and he turned, seeing the knight stepping through the doorway. “Survived your chat with Jade, I see?”

“Laugh all you like, he wants to talk to you next.” Guy said, walking over to them. “Miss anything important?”

“Well, Kimlasca and Malkuth are to be merging back into one unified empire which hasn’t happened in over 1,600 years, so that’s something.” Luke said and Guy blinked.

“Wait, what?”

“They’re getting married,” Luke supplied.

Guy looked baffled for a brief moment but forced the surprise aside. “Talk about dedication to peace. I hope the two of you will have a happy marriage.”

“Thank you,” Meryl bowed her head. “You know, the two of you should have your own ceremony as well. You’re practically married already.”

Guy nervously chuckled. “I appreciate the sentiment but I don’t think I’m anywhere near ready for-”

“We already are.” Luke replied curtly and Guy’s head whipped around to look at him.

“Excuse me?!” his voice cracked.

“We mated; you’re my mate, I call you my mate. What else did you think it meant?”

“So ever since Baticul, we’ve been married?” Luke nodded. “You’re my husband?”

“Mate,” Luke corrected.

“I-... Wow,” he exhaled slowly and Peony stifled a snicker. “Well, if I’m to be stuck with someone for the rest of my life, I’m glad that it’s you.” he said and the two of them smiled warmly at each other, Guy taking the moment to reach out and give Luke’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“Alright you two,” Meryl said softly, “That’s enough of that. Guy, where is Jade currently? You said that he wanted to speak with Luke?”

“Ah, yes. Jade said that he’d be waiting out in the gardens for you, something about needing the space- I can’t really remember what that was about though.”

“Space?” Luke quirked his brow. “Well, what did he want to talk to you about?”

“It wasn’t so much talking as it was a bunch of maids swarming me to take measurements.”

“Measurements?” Peony asked.

“Yeah, it didn’t go so well at first,” Guy chuckled weakly, scratching the back of his head. “I’m guessing he’d want to take yours as well? Though what for, I’m not sure. Either way, would you like some help out to the gardens, or do you want to go off on your own?”

“Ah, the help would be greatly appreciated. My last attempt to navigate by myself didn’t do too well. Ended up tripping down a flight of stairs…” Luke muttered that last bit and both Tear and Meryl looked concerned.

“Are you okay? You didn’t hurt anything, did you?” Tear asked.

“No, no. Don’t worry about it, I’ve taken some seriously hard hits in my time way worse than that. If anything it hurt my pride. I’m fine.” he tried to reassure the princess but she didn’t look at all convinced.

“I do worry. You’be been pushing yourself incredibly hard as of late and your body can’t take much more abuse. You need to take it easy for a while.” Tear scolded him and Meryl nodded.

“I agree. That… experience with Lorelei… As impressive and terrifying and awe inspiring as it was to witness, your body gave out and your heart stopped. While we’re preparing for the wedding, you’re under a strict no magic rule and are to use the down time to rest and recover. After the ceremony is officiated, we will worry about the next instructions that Lorelei gave us.”

“I have to say, I am greatly looking forward to it,” Tear sighed dreamily, her eyes sparkling. “Releasing the gods, getting to see them _in person_! Such an honor…!”

“Oh yeah, sure, because the gods are so kind and caring,” Luke muttered under his breath as he rolled his eyes.

“Hm?” Tear quirked her brow.

“Nothing, nothing.” Luke shook his head. “Anyways, gardens?” he asked, extending his hand out back towards Guy.

“Gardens.” Guy nodded, taking hold of Luke’s hand with a firm squeeze. It was not wise to make Jade wait.


	36. Trust Me

Guy kept a tight grip on Luke’s hand and guided him out of the throne room towards the palace gardens. The fresh air and sunshine were sorely missed on Luke’s part as he took in a deep breath and basked in the warmth for a couple of moments. Just as Guy had said, Jade was waiting for them towards the center of the gardens with a few elven servants by his side, all of them holding various lengths of rope, paper and writing utensils. 

“Hey, Jade,” Guy waved at the dragon as they approached. “You going to have Luke’s measurements taken as well?”

“That is the plan, yes. Luke, please change forms.” he directed to the red. Luke only quirked his brow and rested his hands on his hips, giving the blue quite the incredulous look.

“Why? What are you planning?”

“Planning? Why, you make it sound like I’m some sort of evil schemer.” Jade bemoaned and Luke snorted audibly, rolling his eyes.

“Given your track record?” he challenged.

“Well, you have me there. I’m commissioning the local blacksmith and leather workers in the city to forge new armor-“

“Sweet!” Guy said excitedly.

“-and a saddle.” Jade finished.

Luke’s face fell into a deep frown instantaneously. “Absolutely not!” he shook his head, crossing his arms. “I may be blind but I still have my dignity!”

“What dignity is there in being a dragon that’s unable to fly?” Jade countered sternly. “Would you prefer to be grounded the rest of your life? Isn’t that more humiliating than requiring a saddle to ensure your and your rider's, your _mate’s_ , safety? Besides,” he exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose, “There’s to be quite a bit of travel in the upcoming weeks while we’re finding and releasing the various gods. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to leave that miasmic goddess running loose for longer than we have to. We’re already giving her a two week head start by preparing for this wedding nonsense, there’s no need to _add_ to it if we don’t have to.”

“Alright, alright, sheesh, shut up already...” Luke groaned, grabbing Mieu off of his shoulder and handing him off to Guy. He wandered off a little ways to have adequate space to transform and did so, finding himself to be back completely in the dark without those elven ears to pick up the slightest of noises. Instantly those servants were upon him, climbing up and over him to take the various measurements necessary, particularly around his neck, chest, and abdomen. Thankfully, considering that he was smarter than the average horse or halla, a bridle and reins weren’t required (that would have truly been humiliating).

“We have what is needed,” an elf called out from atop his back before jumping down onto the ground. “We will take these to the craftsmen immediately. They are honored to work on such a project.”

“Excellent. How long do you expect this project to take?” Jade asked as the servant went over some quick calculations in her head.

“Hm… I’d say give the craftsmen two days, and you’ll be all set! Do you have any specific design requests for the armor or saddle before we leave?” she asked, holding up her notes that had all the various measurements written down.

“Just don’t make it hideous,” Luke said a bit arrogantly, lowering himself down onto the ground where he laid out. “I can’t exactly see so design isn’t too important to me, but I still have standards as a proud red.”

“Of course, of course.” The servant bowed to him. “And you, Master Gailardia?” she turned her attention towards the blond (who had been a bit busy keeping the cheagle entertained by scratching him under the chin).

“Eh? Me? Ah… I can’t really think of anything in particular. So long as it’s practical and comfortable to wear and move around in, I have no complaints.”

“Alright, thank you for your cooperation. If you’ll excuse us.” The servant bowed to them before she and the others hurried off, disappearing into the palace.

There was a brief moment of silence afterwards that was ended by Luke letting out an annoyed groan as he rolled over onto his side, a somewhat irritated expression on his face. “I don’t want to wear a saddle…” he huffed, a little bit of smoke being blown out into the air.

“Aw, come on. It won’t be that bad,” Guy weakly chuckled as he moved over and gently patted Luke’s side. “There won’t be risk of me falling off anymore, it’ll actually be cushioned so longer flights are a possibility-“

“Those are benefits for _you_.” Luke lowered his head onto the ground.

“Stop being dramatic,” Jade stepped forwards, “This is for your benefit overall.”

“But a _saddle_!” Luke whined.

“Give it time, Luke,” Guy tried to assure him, “I’m sure that once it’s made and you actually put it on, it won’t be that bad. Just give it a chance.”

“Easier said than done, Guy…”

_Luna Redecan, Efreetday 15 N.D. 2018_

“Alright, this strap goes around your neck… this one under your chest,” Jade muttered to himself as he made sure all the necessary pieces of the saddle were all in place. “…And done. It’s properly hooked up now. Tell me, how does it feel?”

“Humiliating…” Luke moaned as he lowered himself down onto the ground.

“I’m being serious, Luke. Is it too heavy? Does it get in the way of your wings when you try and move them? Does it hurt anywhere?” Jade scoffed as he climbed down off of the red and rejoined Guy to the side. “These are important questions that I need the answers to.”

“Mm… it doesn’t feel heavy, but that might be a different story with a passenger.” Luke looked over towards them. “It doesn’t necessarily hurt, either. Just my pride…”

“Luke,” Jade said sternly as he narrowed his gaze at the red. “Honestly… Guy, how does your armor feel?”

“It feels very comfortable.” Guy said as he looked down at himself. A full set of mail armor, regal in reds and golds. He wanted to laugh, a Malkuth nobleman clad in Kimlascan colours. If anything the elves were just having him match with Luke. “A bit lighter than I’m used to, but that’ll be very handy in battle in terms of swift movement. I’m curious about the various straps and clips throughout, though? I haven’t been able to figure out where to connect them-“ Jade pointed to the saddle, “-to. Oh, that’s really neat!”

“We can’t have you falling _off_ of Luke because _this time_ he won’t be able to catch you.”

“…What do you mean ‘this time’?” Guy asked warily and a large grin came to Jade’s face.

“You honestly didn’t expect me to _not_ hear about the first time the two of you went flying together, did you?

Heat seared at Guy’s cheeks as embarrassment took hold. That had been a very unpleasant first experience, complete with his pants catching on fire and vomiting on himself. He had hoped to quietly allow that experience to just disappear into memory, but no, no he wasn’t going to be allowed that luxury. Guy sighed heavily as he carded a hand through his hair. “Who told you about it?”

“Lady Susanne, of course.” Jade supplied easily. “But that’s not the focus of this conversation. Be a dear and get yourself situated atop Luke, would you?”

“…Don’t ever call me dear again,” Guy shuddered somewhat, earning a laugh out of the blue. He complied though, and made his way over to Luke’s side where he climbed up to reach the saddle. The leather was quite comfortable, and padded with a deep, wine-red crushed velvet cover. The stitching was in gold thread, made to match the little flecks that Luke sported throughout his body. It was a beautiful work of art, one that Luke would be proud to show off. “Alright… let me see if I can figure out these clasps and straps…” he muttered to himself as he started to fumble around with his armor and the saddle.

“How does it feel up there?” Jade called out.

“I think this saddle is nicer than my bed back home,” Guy replied as he snapped the last few buckles in place. “There. Okay, Luke, all strapped in.”

The dragon responded by getting back up onto his feet, getting a feel for the combined weight. It was a bit heavier than he was used to, but it weighed no more than if he were carrying a passenger and a few bags of supplies. If anything it’d just help him build up some much needed strength in his muscles. He tried to move his wings, bringing them up and out, rotating them fully. No hindrances, that was a good sign.

“Hm… So far, so good,” Luke said with a slight nod towards Jade.

“Excellent. Time for a field test then, so to speak. Luke, can you follow my instructions carefully?” Jade asked and Luke nodded again. “Alright, I want you to extend your wings out and flap them slowly. We need to make sure Guy feels comfortable in the saddle as well.”

“Easy enough,” Luke mused as he followed the directions, raising and lowering his wings at an incredibly slow pace, allowing the muscle movements to be really felt as the saddle was jostled around.

“Perfect. Guy, how is that?” Jade asked.

“Pretty good,” Guy said as he paid close attention the way the saddle shifted with each muscle movement. It was a little shaky, but it was no worse than when they had actually been up in the air flying previously. An idea came to mind and he leaned far forwards, almost laying against Luke’s neck, then he leaned real far back, before swaying from one side to the other rather dramatically.

“What are you doing back there?” Luke asked as he dropped his wings and looked over at him.

“Just testing my range of motion back here. Some of those aerial turns you did before were pretty sharp and I had to do some serious leaning to keep myself from falling.”

“Yeah, that didn’t turn out too well,” Luke chortled and Guy’s face fell into a frown. In reply, Guy silently smacked the dragon’s neck which Luke huffed at. “Now what?” Luke asked Jade.

“Simple. I want you to hover a few feet off the ground. Think you can manage?” Luke’s wings were already extended by the end of that sentence.

“Can I manage? Please-” Luke rolled his eyes. He flapped his wings and kicked off the ground only to find himself suddenly unable to tell where he was and how high he had gone. He couldn’t pick up any mana frequencies, and as such he was now entirely in the dark. He leaned too far forwards, and his own frequency bounced off the ground to show him he was headed for a crash landing. Quickly, he leaned backwards to compensate and went too far, nearly hitting the ground once again. Keeping balanced, with a passenger, while blind was proving to be quite the challenge.

“You look like you’re struggling. Lower your altitude.” Jade instructed, which Luke did so- begrudgingly. He dropped about five feet- now able to keep steady and have a much better time ‘seeing’ things around him. Jade kept them hovering for quite a while, until Luke felt like he was comfortable enough to keep his balance before increasing his altitude again. When that was successful, Luke insisted that they move on to actual flight. “You sure you want to move on that quickly?” Jade asked a bit skeptically as Luke landed with a bit of an impact.

“Yes,” the red nodded, “I need to learn to do this as fast as possible. I refuse to be the one to slow you all down.”

“Well…” Jade paused, glancing over at Guy, “This is where it’ll require your participation. You’ll have to be the one to direct Luke. Higher, lower, faster, slower, turn left, turn right, stop… He’ll be completely relying on you. Are you up to the challenge?”

“I… Yeah, yeah I can do this.” Guy nodded, tightening his grip on the saddle. This wouldn’t be too hard, it was just like riding a horse- a very large, flying horse, that would yell at him if he knew he was making this analogy… “We should try to take this slow until I get a feel for the commands, alright?”

“Right,” Luke nodded. “Let me know when you’re ready.” He extended his wings out once more and prepared for takeoff.

Guy exhaled slowly and steeled his nerves. Here goes nothing… “Ready!”

Luke kicked off the ground swiftly and rose up high into the air, keeping his balance quite well. With Guy’s instruction, he went higher and higher until the both of them were over the tallest tower of the palace. Looking around, there were quite a large number of tall spires threaded throughout the city… Elven architecture was going to make this difficult.

“For the record, I cannot see _anything_ up here at all…” Luke said uneasily, his tone doing little to soothe Guy’s frayed nerves. The two of them were already incredibly high, and if Luke were to fall... “So what am I doing?”

“Ah, right. We're about... uh... We're above most of the city's buildings. There's a few tall towers but I’m sure we can avoid those. You're facing... south, I think. Fly forward at whatever speed you're comfortable with, you've got a good distance between you and anything you could hit."

Okay, simple enough. He proceeded forwards at Guy’s command at a slow pace, not fully trusting Guy’s word or even himself for that manner. It was hard to let go of the fact that he could no longer see. He kept straining to try and see _something_ but all he got was more darkness. After quite a few frustrating minutes, he felt that reassuring pat on his back and he was reminded that this was new, and it was now a team effort. So, he let go. Luke closed his eyes- which actually helped immensely- listening to Guy’s every instruction and following them precisely. Upwards incline, level out, turn left until he says stop. He was starting to get the hang of things.

When basic controls and commands were fleshed out, the two of them now having established a series of verbal and tactile communications and cues, Luke felt like it was okay to increase his speed. He had been flying at a pretty mild pace (embarrassingly slow), and now that he was starting to feel comfortable in the air again, he wanted to push it. He increased his speed a bit, slowly, gradually beating his wings into the wind faster and faster until he was going at a pretty good speed

 

“Jade, what’re you doing?” Anise asked curiously as she stepped down the stairs over to the blue dragon’s side. Jade merely pointed upwards, and she gasped loudly as she saw Luke flying high overhead. “You’re letting him fly when he’s blind?!”

“Oh heavens no. Guy is up there with him, giving him detailed instructions.” Jade replied a little too casually.

“Right… because this doesn’t sound like a terrible idea…” Anise said skeptically, looking back up at the red dragon that was now doing some more advanced aerial maneuvers. Sharp turns, sudden drops, things that were needed for aerial combat should they eventually have to fight against Asch and Sync…

“If it makes you feel any better, I have been watching them this entire time. If I think they’re in any real danger, I’ll intervene immediately. Now, why don’t you go back to helping plan for the royal wedding, hm?” he asked as she frowned.

“Fine, I’m going, I’m going.” she said with a bit of a huff.

 

"What d'you say we head back down? Or do you wanna just keep flying?" Guy asked as Luke leveled out after a long turn.

“We can work on landing later, I just want to _fly_!” Luke said eagerly, beating his wings and accelerating rapidly through the air, soaring high above the city, far away from any obstacles that could hinder their path. He inhaled deeply, loving the crisp, clean air, exhaling quite the large puff of white smoke to indicate just how pleased he was. 

Flight without sight was… exhilarating! 

It had been terrifying at first but now, now that all the kinks had been worked out and he could rely on Guy completely to guide him, the sensation of moving so fluidly through the air was exciting! His heart raced, blood pumping as a rush got the better of him. “Hang on!” He called out to Guy, making sure the blond was properly secured before he started to roll, flip, and spin, essentially laughing the entire time, enjoying the hell out of himself.

“Wha-?! Hey!” Guy sputtered as he was unwittingly taken for the joyride. “Luke! I get that you’re excited by you have no idea how far forwards and down you’re taking us! Oh Rem- Luke pull up! Pull up, pull up!” he yelled. Luke snapped out his excitement and heeded the knight’s command, pulling up at a sharp incline, narrowly avoiding a particularly tall city spire. “Praise the seven…” Guy sighed heavily with relief. “Okay, Luke, I think it’s time we work on landing. That was a little close.”

 

The landing had been a bit treacherous; Luke had absolutely no way to gauge how fast he was going to meet with the ground. Guy had done a fairly good job at giving directions, but the landing was by far the toughest bit of the flight. Luke huffed, shaking out his forefoot which had skidded during the process. 

“Well, aside from the landing, that was quite enjoyable.” Luke said, hearing some frequencies that he was unfamiliar with off in the distance. He turned his head, seeing the outlines of some guards patrolling the area, as well as those of a few servants who had stopped to watch the dragon (it wasn’t exactly every day that a guardian of all things showed off their impressive abilities).

When Guy was off of his back, Luke transformed back into his elven appearance- delighted to find that the saddle was magically enchanted to work with his transformation, making it disappear in his mortal forms. That was, by far, the most useful thing about this, and he was grateful to the elves for thinking that far ahead about it. He looked over at Guy with the biggest of grins, glad to have that exhilaration out of his system. He extended his arms out and pulled him in for a big hug, laughing a bit.

“Had fun, did we?” Jade asked from the stairs and Luke nodded. “I am glad. You’re learning your way around without sight quite quickly.”

“Well, it’s not like I have a choice.” Luke said with a bit of a shrug. “Besides, I don’t want to have to rely on you guys to get around. I still have a lot of work to do when it comes to stairs though…”

“That was more than enough for today,” Jade said with a slight smile, “Guy, why don’t you escort Luke back to the guest chambers so that he may get some rest?”

“Oh come on, there’s nothing to do the-“ Luke started to argue, but an idea came to mind. “Actually, yeah. Guy, let’s go! Now!” he urged as he grabbed Guy by the wrist.

“...Honestly, have they no shame?” Jade asked as he rolled his eyes and shook his head.


	37. Friendship

When the doors to their guest chambers were closed and locked, Luke pressed Guy up against the wall rather aggressively without missing a second. An eager, hungry kiss placed upon the human’s lips spoke of Luke’s intentions for him, and Guy was left stifling a laugh as heat crept up to his face. Of course this was what Luke wanted, he should have known given how eager Luke pulled him along. The last time they had been together had been a wonderful experience that would be kept fondly in his memory. It had been _ages_ ago though, it felt. Back before they had lowered the land, back before the war with elves, back when things were just... simpler… With their new task laid out before them, they were going to have a long, hard journey in the upcoming weeks while they sought out the various gods of this world. This may be their last chance at closeness and intimacy for who knew how long.

Hell, it might even be their last, given how powerful that goddess appeared to be...

A playful nip at his bottom lip tore Guy from his semi-pessimistic thoughts and brought him back to reality. Luke was trying to deepen the kiss rather frantically. Obliging the red, Guy parted his lips and allowed for Luke to take things further, feeling the dragon’s hands roaming over his body. It felt nice, being able to just relax and let Luke do what he wanted, the dragon knowing exactly where to touch with just the right tenderness. A light shiver traveled down his spine as fingers caressed the side of his neck.

“Mm,” Guy gently pushed Luke off of him to break the kiss, “keep that pace up and I’ll suffocate.”

“Sorry, sorry. I just… getting to fly like that got my heart racing and I-”

“It’s alright,” he leaned in and placed a soft kiss to Luke’s forehead, “I get that you’re excited. I am too. We’ve been long overdue for some quality time together.”

“That we have.” Luke nodded in agreement. “I was thinking of taking this a bit further and maybe… letting you take the lead this time…” A hot blush appeared on his cheeks. Guy stared at him blankly for a moment, taking the time to process that. That was certainly a suggestion that he had never expected to hear from Luke, given how… prideful Luke was by nature. He’d always imagined that Luke might have considered that demeaning since he had been so assertive the last time they had been together. Boy, was he glad that he was wrong.

“I certainly don’t mind,” Guy started as he scratched the back of his head, “though there’s no promises that I know what I’m doing… The last time was pretty successful though, so I think I’ll just try to copy that and see where to go from there. That okay?”

“Stop talking and touch me already!” Luke demanded with an angry pout.

“Impatient as ever, I see.” Guy smirked. Rather than giving in to his dragon’s demands however, he instead, bent down and scooped Luke up into his arms, much to the red’s surprise.

“Wha-?! H-hey! Put me down!” Luke kicked his legs widly.

“Oh come on, let me play the role of prince charming for a bit-”

“Not if I have to be the princess, damnit!” he snapped.

“You’re a beautiful princess that I love very much. Your hair’s even growing back out- it’s back to your shoulders already.”

“Guy!”

“Just play along for the moment, please. You said I could take the lead, didn’t you?”

“Why?” Luke furrowed his brow.

“Well, the last time I had to be a knight towards you, it didn’t end very well for either of us. I’m thinking that being a prince would be better. Let’s just indulge in the romantic fantasy for a bit, alright?”

“Alright, alright, jeez...” Luke relented with a heavy sigh, relaxing a bit in Guy’s grasp. If it’s what Guy wanted that badly, he’d put up with it...

The blond inhaled deeply, and with the most charming voice he could muster, spoke forth his _seductive_ lines. “My fair princess, ‘tis I, your _handsome_ prince, here to _pleasure_ you~”

Luke burst out laughing and shook his head, bringing a hand up to wipe the tears forming in his eyes. “Oh Rem- please stop. That is _so_ bad!” 

“Everyone’s a critic,” Guy rolled his eyes as he chuckled. “But I thought that might make you smile. The guys back in the military used to tease me a lot about my lack of experience, but a few of them left me some good advice. The one that stuck with me the most was that if you can’t laugh with the person you’re with when things go awry, you’re with the wrong person. Things have been really tense as of late, I just wanted to see you having some fun.”

“I am having fun,” Luke smiled warmly towards him. “Though, I think I’d be having more fun if we could get back to things- sans that terrible bit. I’m sorry, but until you refine your acting skills, you are barred from bringing that to the bedroom.”

“Ouch. Alright, I’ll work on it then.”

“Good. Now put me down, your arms have been trembling for the past couple of minutes and it’s insulting. I’m not that heavy! You need to work on your upper body strength.”

“You’re lucky I love you so much,” Guy said as he released Luke from his grasp, “I wouldn’t put up with this from just anyone.”

Luke smirked and rested his hands on his hips. “Shut up and take me already.”

A stupidly happy grin came to Guy’s face as he saluted the red, “Yessir!”

 

“-Now, for the guest list…” Ion trailed off for a moment as he looked between Meryl and Peony, “Considering that this is a major, not to mention historical event, I think the invitation should be extended to as many people as possible.”

“That would… complicate things,” Meryl frowned a little as she crossed her arms. “For one, there’s not exactly many survivors from the attacks. For another…”

“Those that have survived harbor extreme ill will towards the elves after the attacks.” Peony finished with a sigh. “It would be a major security risk to try and cram as many people here as possible with tensions still so high. The last thing we want is a group of people trying to seek vengeance by attacking during the ceremony. I get Kimlasca’s colours are red and gold, but we don’t need _that_ much red-”

“Peony!” Meryl looked appalled by that joke. “Honestly… This is a serious matter. We do need at least a _few_ nobles present as witnesses to the Seven Vows and Blessings, otherwise it’s-”

“I know, I know. Don’t worry, I am taking this seriously. Do you happen to know who survived through Baticul’s collapse?” he asked her and she fell silent for a moment.

“Lady Susanne, she’s currently in Belkend with some extended family. There was also General Cecille, General Goldberg, and Count Almandine- they were out pressing the front lines by Yulia city when the attack happened. Inviting General Cecille though…”

“Is that a problem?” Peony quirked a brow.

“Ah, that’s right!” Ion gasped, “She was the one who arrested all of us in Chesedonia. She-... was the one to order Guy’s execution...”

“What?” Peony frowned, looking outright disgusted to hear this. “Why would she do that?”

“Well, those orders were technically King Ingobert’s orders,” Meryl corrected.

“To hell with that, they’re family! Why would she possibly carry out those orders after Eugenie and her family were killed?” Peony nearly yelled and both Ion and Meryl looked quite surprised by this.

“Family...?” Ion questioned.

“Yes, they’re cousins. You didn’t know this?” he asked and the both of them shook their heads. “Eugenie Cecille, Guy’s mother, was Jozette’s aunt. She was originally a Kimlascan noblewoman who was married to Count Gardios, from Malkuth, as an offer of peace between nations while my father was ruling. They had two children, Gailardia, and his older sister, Marybelle.”

“You said they were killed?” Merly questioned and Peony nodded grimly.

“Yes, it was… gruesome. I won’t go into detail out of respect for Gailardia. If he wants to tell you, then he will, but the aftermath was disgusting. They were disgraced postmortem, and Guy was driven out of his home on Hod. He was only five years old at the time.”

“Oh, Rem…” Meryl felt her heart sink.

“I took him in the first chance I got. He grew up in the palace in Grand Chokmah, enlisting in the military the moment he was old enough to try and restore his family’s name with honor. What kills me is the fact that he’ll often make mention of getting back to Hod ‘one of these old days’, but he’s been saying that for years. He has no interest in going back. The memory is still painful for him.”

“That’s…” Ion started, but he couldn’t figure out what else to say. What _could_ one say to that type of information. Poor Guy... 

“Inviting Cecille would be… interesting,” Meryl weakly laughed, wrapping her arms around herself. “If we didn’t know that they were related, do you think it’s possible that they don’t know?”

“It’s a possibility. Either way, she needs to be invited since she’s your general. Brigadier General Frings will be attending, and since the nations are merging, we need our military leaders talking to one another.”

“Jade isn’t enough?” Ion dryly chuckled and Peony snorted.

“Jade doesn’t exactly count-”

A dragon’s cry pierced through the air loudly, startling all of them, followed by a very agonizing scream that had definitely come from Guy. Without any hesitation, Meryl and Peony bolted out of the throne room, racing over to the guest wing where they pounded on the locked door.

“Guy?! Are you alright?!” Meryl yelled through the doorway, but the response she received was not at all what she had been expecting.

“ _What the HELL was that_?!” Guy shouted somewhat angrily.

“...Guy?” Meryl called again.

“I’m _sorry_! That’s never happened before-!” she blinked upon hearing Luke’s semi-frantic voice. What… were they…? Oh. _OH_. But even so- that scream was _anything_ but enjoyment and it was definitely cause for worry!

“You _sliced my back open with your claws_! Am I bleeding? Shit, I’m bleeding! I am _BLEEDING_ , Luke!”

“I didn’t _mean_ to! My wings and claws just sort of… came out without my control. I told you not to bite my ears while doing that-!”

There was a smell to the air-... smoke?! “Luke you just set the sheets on _fire_!”

“I warned you that doing all of that at once would raise my body temperature!”

“FORGET THAT, PUT IT OUT!”

“Stop yelling at me!”

“ _For fuck’s sake, Luke!_ ”

Meryl was about to kick the door in to try and help when she could hear Peony laughing in the background. She turned to look at her fiancé, bewildered. “You find this funny?!”

“They’re just so awkward.” Peony shook his head, a small smile coming to his face, “They’re fine, Meryl, they’ve been through far worse than this-”

“There is a _fire_ in there!” Meryl tried to argue.

“Luke is a pyromancer, he’ll have it under control. Relax, Meryl. They’re still figuring each other out, and given the differences between them, there’s bound to be bumps along the way. Let’s give them their privacy and not add further to their humiliation. I’m pretty darn sure all of Yulia city heard Luke’s screech, and you know Jade won’t let him live that down.”

Meryl didn’t look too convinced, and glanced back over to the doorway with worry. “I… alright,” she nodded, allowing for Peony to guide her away from the doorway. He was right, the both of them were going to have to work through the differences between them on their own. She just hoped that no one was going to get hurt too badly...

_Luna Redecan, Undineday 16 N.D. 2018_

Guy had been sitting out in the palace’s courtyard, staring blankly out towards the gardens that he had been taking care of. Everything had been pruned and tended to so meticulously it was to the point where there was nothing more he could do, lest he start to hinder the growth of plants. Luke had wanted some time to himself which, given the events of the prior day, was understandable... Yesterday had definitely not been one of their proudest moments. They were both feeling pretty stupid about everything that had happened... 

Still, to think that elf ears were _that_ sensitive! Well, at least he knew how to turn Luke on in less than ten seconds now. And not to nibble on the lobes while touching elsewhere. That was just a recipe for a disaster apparently…

Still, he felt awkward now… Not just because everyone in the palace had heard of their mishap, but rather, because of all those mishaps, they never actually achieved the sex they desired. Instead, he had ended up yelling at Luke repeatedly for everything. In the moment, he had felt justified, especially considering how _painful_ having his back clawed open was, but looking back, Luke really did have no control over what happened, and he had been mortified that his control had slipped. Guy could clearly remember the way Luke’s ears dropped when he was reprimanding him for everything, and guilt was starting to eat away at the pit of his stomach.

“I should apologize to him…” he muttered to himself.

“Ah, lovers quarrel,” Jade sighed from behind Guy and the blond jumped, bringing a hand to his chest.

“D-Damnit, Jade! Don’t startle me like that!” he swallowed thickly, feeling his heartbeat slowly returning to normal.

“I take offense to the fact that you fail to notice my presence any time I come near you.” Guy scoffed and rolled his eyes, scooting back to his seat. “You and Luke got into a fight after what happened yesterday? That’s unusual. The two of you haven’t _actually_ fought since the military encampment.”

“No, no, we didn’t fight per se… I just reacted badly to what happened and took it out on him unfairly. I think he was really embarrassed by all of the things he did that were out of his control and that’s why he didn’t argue back like he normally would have.”

“Ah, I see. In that case, yes, an apology is definitely in order. I am glad that you’re able to recognize your own fault in this matter, even if your fault was unintentional. Relationships can be tricky sometimes, it’s why I try to avoid them.”

“And yet, here you are, surrounded by a group of people who are crazy enough to consider you their friend. That’s, what, five or six relationships there.”

“Friend?” Jade was slightly caught off guard by this. “... Given my past actions, I thought-”

“You’ve been really straightforward and honest since then, as I said the last time this was brought up. Besides, you’ve also grown a little fond of Luke, even if it’s just to protect him to fight against the miasma. You have character, and it’s slowly developing. I think that’s worth giving you a chance.”

“I see.” Jade said quietly, bringing his hands around behind his back. The blue dragon looked pensive and, if one looked hard enough, almost uncomfortable. This set Guy on edge slightly.

“...You okay? You’re making me nervous.”

“Eh? Ah, sorry. I was just lost in thought for a moment. The only person I’ve ever considered tolerable has been his Majesty, so the idea of having friends is… tiring.”

Guy got a laugh out of that and got up from his seat, brushing off his pants with his hands. “If you can handle his Majesty, I think you can handle the rest of us. You’ve managed this much so far.”

“True,” Jade chuckled lightly.

“Ah, before I forget. I was wondering if you’d do a favor for me?” he asked as he fiddled through his satchel and pulled out the golden mana crystal.

“Where on Auldrant did you get that?” Jade asked, admiring the size and beauty of it. “Wait, never mind, this is from Baticul. Luke gave it to you?”

“Yeah, as a gift, amazingly. I think back to when he tried to steal my gald for a mini hoard when we first started and then look to see this… he’s come a long way. I originally said I wanted to display it but, I think I have a better idea. I contacted a jewelcrafter in the city to commission a couple of rings. Meryl said that we should get married, and Luke said that we already sort of were according to him-”

“You are. A dragon mates for life.”

“Oh, wow…” Guy clutched the crystal tightly. Luke… really _had_ taken a big chance with him. Suddenly what he had said before, about how Guy would be gone in a handful of years to him, hurt even more now. “...I was thinking of using the mana crystal here for the gemstone in the rings, but the elf said that he couldn’t work with it since the material was far too fragile. I was wondering if it was possible to even use this?”

“It’s possible. I can cut the crystal myself without shattering it into dust. It’ll take me a while to do it, however.”

“Would you be willing to? I… I really want to show my commitment to him.”

Jade held out his hand and nodded. “I’ll get in touch with the jewelcrafter and make sure the cut fits the bands.”

A grateful smile came to Guy’s face as he handed the crystal over to the blue. “Oh thank you, Jade! You have no idea how much this means to me. There’s… There’s only so much that I can do for him as a human. Sometimes, I feel really limited in my ability to help everyone, but-”

“You make him _happy_. I cannot even begin to stress how important that is, especially now. If you weren’t here, I think Luke would have collapsed under pressure from everything that’s happened a long time ago. The loss of his brother was hard enough the first time around. And now, he’s lost his sight on top of everything, too.”

“...Yeah,” Guy nodded slowly, his face falling. “Luke has been working so hard to keep us all going. I… I’m going to go apologize to him. Thanks, Jade. I feel kind of better, having been able to talk about things.”

“Don’t go making it into a habit,” Jade sighed. Guy weakly laughed and nodded, waving his goodbye to the blue before he set off in search of his mate. Jade watched silently for a few moments before turning his gaze down towards the crystal in his hands, looking at his reflection on the glassy surface. "...I don't deserve your friendship."


	38. Reconciliation

“Miiieuuu….! You need to get out of bed! It’s not healthy to spend so much time locked in doors, especially in the dark!” the cheagle pleaded with the dragon.

“For the last time, Mieu,” Luke replied tiredly, pulling himself out from under the covers to shoot an annoyed glare at the small creature sitting at the edge of his bed, “If I can sleep for two and a half centuries, spending _one_ day in bed because I feel like shit is not going to kill me.”

“You and mister Guy just need to talk!” Mieu chirped and Luke sighed, retreating back under the covers.

“...He’s not interested in talking to me,” he muttered, resting his head back onto the pillow. No, Guy had made that abundantly clear the way he was screaming at him last night. He hadn’t _meant_ to do any of those things, they were out of his control, embarrassingly so, but apparently, none of that mattered. He wrapped his arms around himself and bit his bottom lip. This wasn’t the first time that the differences between them ended up with Guy getting hurt. Falling off of him during flight, the battle that they had while he was under Van’s control, this stupid mess… He was just a danger to him and everyone else...

“Of course he is!” Mieu cut in and interrupted his negative train of thought. “He loves you, and you love him. Everyone goes through tough times, but talking is the key to working through it, mieu!”

“Look at me, getting relationship advice from a _cheagle_...” he weakly laughed, rolling his eyes.

“Mieu?” the cheagle blinked, tilting his head to one side.

“Nothing, nothing…” Luke sat back up and pulled the covers off of himself. “Thanks, Mieu. I’m glad that you’re here.” he reached out and gently pet the creature.

“Mieeeuu, you going to try and talk to him?”

“I suppose… I’ll have to find him first, but this palace is huge…” he trailed off looking around to see nothing but blackness. Being in human form had its disadvantages, but gods, he was feeling entirely too self conscious about his ears to be in elven form.

“You’re getting better at navigating without your sight.” Mieu observed.

“It’s been hard…” Luke’s voice trembled a little as he grasped at the sheets. “The world is a lot scarier when everything is dark. Stupid, simple things you once took for granted are now impossible challenges, like stairs…” he pulled his knees in close. “Hell, if I weren’t able to see mana frequencies, I think I would have forgotten what _colour_ looks like at this point…” 

“Are you okay?” Mieu scampered over to his side and pressed a paw up against his arm.

“No… No I’m not. I haven’t been okay in a long time. I can act like being blind doesn’t bother me in front of the others because I don’t want to worry them and be a hinderance, but damnit… I hate it.” he started to laugh, a weak, forced smile on his face. “Everything has gone to hell and I am _useless_ now. My brother and Sync are _dead_ but their bodies are still being used to do who knows what by that _bitch_ goddess but we are just… just _sitting here_ on our heels because of a _wedding_ that’s distracted everyone from what’s really important!” Luke spat bitterly, his clutch on the sheets tightening exponentially.

“You’ve done what you could-”

“ _That’s not good enough_!” he shouted and Mieu flinched, scampering back away from him. “It’s not… It’s not good enough…” Tears started to form in his eyes and spill down over his cheeks. “My best _isn’t good enough_. Asch is _gone_ because I couldn’t save him- because I couldn’t resist that _awful_ magic! I nearly _killed_ Guy because I succumbed to it. I did _everything_ in my power to save Baticul and the city was still destroyed. I keep… _failing_ no matter how hard I try!”

“I thought I told you that Baticul wasn’t your fault,” Guy’s voice sounded off and Luke gasped, looking towards the doorway. Damnit- he hated the limitations of his human form... “What are you doing in here moping?”

“If you’re just going to yell at me again then get out,” Luke scrubbed his face, trying to wipe the tears away.

“I wasn’t,” Guy shook his head, seeing Mieu on the bed. “You mind giving us some privacy? Jade’s out in the gardens if you want to keep him some company.”

“Okay,” the cheagle nodded, hopping down off of the bed to scurry out of the room. With the cheagle gone, Guy closed the door and then moved to the edge of the bed, taking a seat.

“Look, Luke… I’m sorry, about last night. And I’m… I’m sorry I failed you.”

“What? How have you failed me?”

“You have been holding onto a lot of pain and guilt for a very long time now and I never noticed, or thought to ask how you were doing unless you brought it up. You are so good at hiding things sometimes, it’s scary.”

“You heard all of that, huh…?” Luke sniffled, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Yeah, I did. I should have known that you losing Asch again would be incredibly hard. I should have known that losing one of your senses would be jarring and scary-”

“Stop. Stop it, Guy.” Luke shook his head, pressing his hands up against Guy’s chest to push him away. “I’ve been dealing with these things on my own and I want to keep it that way. It’s how I’ve always dealt with things.”

“It’s not how you have to deal with things now. I’m here for you, Luke. _For you_. Yeah, last night was not exactly my proudest, shining moment, but a stupid mishap like that doesn’t mean I suddenly no longer care about you or your problems. I want you to be happy and to not hurt, I want you to feel like you can share things with me and talk about your problems.”

“...I keep hurting you.” Luke muttered under his breath.

“What?”

“I keep… I keep _hurting_ you, Guy. It’s never intentional, but you keep getting hurt because of me…”

“Yeah, but, I sort of knew what I was signing up for by entering a relationship with a dragon.” he chuckled, reaching out to ruffle Luke’s hair. “You’re a lot more jagged and sharp than most people, and that can hurt sometimes. But you know, that pain is temporary and inconsequential compared to the companionship and affection you offer me. I _care_ about you so much, Luke. It doesn't bother me, the differences between us. I say it a lot, but I really mean it when I say that I love you, _you_ , dragon and all.”

Luke closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down to no real avail. “...I try to keep everything to myself to not inconvenience you and the others… I try to look tough to keep everyone going…”

“You don’t have to do that in front of me, Luke. If you need to-” Before Guy could finish, Luke latched himself onto the blond and buried his face into the crook of his neck where he openly started to sob. He took all of the pain that he had forced down so far and let it free, allowing himself to feel guilt, sorrow, regret, and anger without restraint. Guy closed his eyes and weakly smiled, wrapping his arms around the red tightly. “I will _always_ be here to listen to you.”

“I want my brother back…!” Luke whimpered, clutching onto Guy’s shirt tightly.

“I know…” Guy brought a hand up to gently smooth Luke’s hair back. “I know. We’ll find him and we’ll do what we can. I promise.”

“And… I just want to see your stupid face again…”

“Well,” Guy chuckled, “I can promise you that it’s the same stupid face as before.”

Luke continued to cry and Guy sat there with him for hours, doing his best to console his mate and help him work through his grief.

_Luna Redecan, Sylphday 17 N.D. 2018_

Tear frowned deeply as she scanned over the reports her researchers could come up with. Even with a dedicated staff to study Guy’s sword, the results were entirely inconclusive! There was no indication as to what kind of magic went into enchanting that wretched blade, or how it was even forged. In fact, the only thing of any note on this report was the account of how her brother’s behavior started to change when he was exposed to the sword. He had been curious about the blade at the start of the project, but over time he seemed to grow attached to it. At one point, he claimed he heard whispers in a forgotten tongue, but the voice was so sad and longing…

She felt sick to her stomach, recalling how it all ended, and she tore the report apart, crumpling it up to throw it as far away from her as possible.

“Tear?” She jumped at the knock to the door, quickly turning around to see Jade standing there. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Ah, no, no. I was just… reviewing the documents about the Jewel of Gardios.”

“I take it by the fact you tore it up, there was nothing of any real importance in it.” he observed and she weakly laughed, nodding.

“You could say that… I hate the fact that we’re only left with more questions than answers. I just, I can’t get that fight out of my head. Van was a _monster_. The things he did… Was it really just the goddess’ influence, or is there more to it?” Tear sighed heavily, her ears and shoulders slumping.

“There’s not much point in dwelling on it. We all saw what happened to him and the results thereafter. What concerns me, however…” he trailed off for a moment, bringing his hands around behind his back, “Do you recall what he said when Gailardia was impaled?”

“What? Ah, no… I didn’t hear anything.”

“You were probably in shock. It’s no matter. Van stabbed Guy through the stomach and expected _something_ to happen. He was quite surprised when it _didn’t_ happen and said something about how Guy should be infected.”

“Infected?” Tear pondered this for a moment. “Infected with what?”

“Miasma. That’s the only logical conclusion I can come up with given the evidence we have around that sword. With what happened to Luke when he touched it, with how Van deteriorated, I think Guy was supposed to have miasma inside of him as a result of that stab.”

“But he didn’t… I healed his wound and there was no trace of miasma at all. How could that be?” Tear furrowed her brow. “You can’t just be immune to it… Can you?”

“Considering it’s been in his family and his family alone for countless generations without incident, it might just be a hereditary immunity. Though how that came to pass, I cannot even begin to guess.”

“That’s just so absurd, though. That can’t be it.” She shook her head. An immunity to miasma… Surely that was impossible… right?

_Luna Redecan, Remday 27 N.D. 2018_

“Do you need help with your suit?” Guy asked Luke as the red fiddled with his collar.

“I don’t see the point why I have to dress up in some overly tight, stiff suit for this wedding ceremony. They asked me and Jade to be in our natural forms for this, for whatever reason. Given what I know about Peony, though, it’s likely that he wants to brag that he had dragons at his wedding.”

“...You know, the sad thing is, you’re probably right about that.” Guy chuckled as he fixed the sash around his waist. “There we are… Where did my gloves go? I just had them.”

“They’re on the bedside table.” Luke replied plainly and Guy spun around to see them just where Luke said.

“Thank you,” Guy smiled at him before pulling the gloves on. “Y’know, you’ve gotten real good at being able to read mana frequencies lately. I will say that I do miss seeing you in human form, though.”

“I’d be in human form if I could actually manage to see anything in it,” Luke shrugged as he held his hands over his chest. He watched his frequency bounce off of the buttons he had just fastened, making sure that they were all straight and uniform. “Alright, that should do it… Just to make sure- Guy, did I get everything?”

“Ah, here,” Guy stepped in and fixed a crooked button before fiddling with his sash. “There. Perfect. This looks really good on you, y’know.”

“Really?” Luke tilted his head to the side.

“Yes!” Mieu’s overly jubilant voice chimed from the bedside. “It makes you look regal! Almost like a royal!”

A cocky grin came to Luke face, “Well technically we don’t have royalty in the dragon hierarchy, but those of us who stem from the gods might as well be.”

“Alright, you already have an over inflated ego, there’s no need for you to be making it any bigger.” Guy snorted, to which Luke could only scoff and roll his eyes.

“It’s the truth, that’s all there is too it. Anyways, as much as I enjoy the finer things in life, I still hate formal attire… It’s always so tight and constricting.” he frowned, bringing a gloved hand up to then adjust his collar which was much too close to his neck for his comfort. “I have to admit I’m rather grateful I’ll be spending most of the day naked-“

There was a knock on the door, and Luke looked over to see Jade’s outline step in. “Pardon the interruption. Luke, you and I have our positions to take.”

“You could have at least waited until we said it was okay for you to come in.” Luke huffed, resting his hands on his hips.

“Why? Afraid you’ll be caught in the act?” Jade lightheartedly teased as Luke groaned. “Come, we need to be ready before the guests start arriving. His Majesty is most insistent.”

“Fine, fine, I’m already ready anyways,” he glanced briefly over at Guy, flashing him a small smile, “I’ll see you later.” he squeezed his hand before turning back over to face Jade. “Lead on.”

Guy looked over to the cheagle on the bed. “Well, shall we head over to the throne room as well?”

“Mieu!”

The throne room in Yulia City had without any doubt been impressive beforehand, but now was an entirely different story. Lavish decor adorned what seemed like every inch of space, from a plush carpet aisle for the bride to walk down, to rows of golden pews for the attending nobles to sit, to the flowers and silk on the pillars. It was beautiful, without question. Guy was mesmerized by it all, and made it a mental note to thank the castle staff for all of their hard work to pull something like this off in such a short amount of time!

“Look at you! You actually look like a noble for once.” Anise snickered as she ran over to Guy’s side, eyeing him up and down a few times.

“I _am_ a noble-” he started but she shook her head.

“You know what I mean. I still can’t believe we’re attending a royal wedding though! I’m so excited for the reception. So much food and all the dancing! Have you gotten to see the courtyard yet? It’s going to be the highlight of tonight! I’m going to have so much fun!”

“Hopefully not too much fun,” Ion said as he approached the two of them, the same ever easy going smile on his face. “As much as we should celebrate, we do need to keep our wits about us.” 

Anise frowned quite a bit at that, resting her hands on her hips. “Boooo! No way! This is a major royal wedding! Kimlasca and Malkuth are merging back together again after nearly one thousand six hundred years! Not to mention they’re being wed in the _elven capital_ and there will be _dragons_ present! This is a huge deal!” 

Ion lightly chuckled. “I suppose you’re right. Still, I do feel a bit uneasy… We haven’t seen a trace of that miasma goddess since that fight, and I’m worried something might happen or that we’ve been wasting time-“

“You worry _way_ too much, Ion. If anything was amiss, you know Luke or Jade would sense it and tell us immediately. Come on, just play your part as the minister and then partake in the festivities.” Anise placed a hand onto his shoulder. The boy shifted a bit uncomfortably, but in the end, Anise was probably right. 

“Alright.” he said with a nod.

“-Ah, Gailardia!” a new voice sounded off and Guy blinked, turning around to see brigadier general Aslan Frings approaching him. A smile came to Guy’s face and he stood at attention, saluting the man.

“Sir!”

“At ease, we don’t need to worry about rank here today. It’s good to see you again, though. I wish I had gotten the chance to at least say goodbye before you and Jade had to leave for Daath.”

“Ah, same. It had taken you weeks to get back from Kaitzur. Hopefully the fighting in the pass wasn’t too bad after we had left.”

“It was fine,” Frings smiled at him. “We managed to keep casualties to a minimum until the ceasefire was ordered, and from there we had a full retreat.”

“That’s good- ah, Frings, these are my friends whom I’ve been traveling with. This is Divine Ion and his bodyguard, Anise.”

“A pleasure, Divine, Anise,” Frings bowed his head to them.

“The pleasure is mine. Are you Guy’s commander?” Ion asked and Frings nodded.

“Yes. We were stationed in Deo pass for three months, fighting against the Kimlascan forces trying to fortify Akzeriuth. I have to say, I’m grateful for all the fighting to be over and done with. Though a merging of kingdoms… That was about the last thing I expected.”

“Meryl and Peony do have their own interesting ways when it comes to solving problems,” Ion nodded. “I think they’ll make excellent rulers together.”

Before Guy could voice his next thought, movement out of the corner of his eye drew his attention towards the doorway. Some of Malkuth’s nobles were starting to come in, as well as a tiny handful of Kimlasca’s nobility from Belkend. Lady Susanne was among them, but her choice of company had Guy’s jaw clenched so tightly his teeth hurt. Why… why did _she_ have to be here?

“Good day,” Susanne said easily as she approached the small group, a smile on her face. “Such a lovely day for a wedding, don’t you think?”

“Yes,” Jozette nodded as she released her arm from the duchess’. “I am greatly interested to see what will happen.” Guy’s hands clenched up into tight fists.

“Jozette, how good to see you again.” Aslan smiled at her, taking her hand in his to kiss the back of it.

“Frings…!” she grew a bit flustered, pulling her hand back only to see the glare Guy was giving her. “...Gailardia.”

“General.” His tone was hard and firm, anything but inviting.

“I… Would you be willing to talk in pri-”

“Absolutely not.” his gaze narrowed and the jovial mood within the group died down instantly. “You want to talk to me, do it now, because after this interaction I have no intention on giving you the time of day.”

“Jeez, Guy!” Anise backed away from him slowly. 

“I understand that you two have a bad history but can’t you put that aside for Meryl and Peony’s sake?” Ion asked but Guy ignored him, keeping his gaze locked on the general.

“Harsh, but I deserve that. I have no excuse for my actions or how I treated you,” she then bowed deeply to him at the waist, her hands locked to her sides. “I am truly sorry.”

“‘Ill mannered as he is ill bred. This is why you don’t mix Kimlascan and Malkuth bloodlines.’ Those were your _exact_ words. I _get_ that our countries were still at war and that you were following orders, but you do not get to drag my mother and father into it!” he spat angrily, his control over his emotion starting to slip. It was taking every ounce of restraint to keep him from screaming at her in front of everyone else, and hell, he nearly wanted to hit her after what she did. “Where the hell do you get off- What do you even hope to accomplish by apologizing? Do you honestly think that I’d forgive you?”

“No, but-”

“But what?” he sneered.

She had fallen silent for a moment, ending the bow to look him in the eyes. “I just thought that you’d want family again.”

Guy stared at her wide eyed for a moment. “What the hell- are you trying to come on to me?!” He felt repulsed and took several steps away from her. The nerve!

“What?! No! For Sylph’s sake- We’re _family_ , Gailardia. You’re my cousin!”

Susanne nervously giggled, trying to diffuse the situation. “Now, now. I’m certain this is a talk that can be saved for another time. You’re drawing quite the crowd…” She looked around to see a group of nobles that had started to watch the spectacle. “This day is about Meryl and his Majesty- please, both of you, keep this in mind.”

“What’s going on over here?” Luke asked as he and Jade approached them.

“...Nothing, it’s nothing.” Guy sighed heavily, relaxing his hands from the tight fists. “We should take our places, the ceremony will start soon.” Luke didn’t look convinced by Guy’s words, but he didn’t pry. Instead, Guy took hold of Luke’s hand and gave it a good squeeze, looking back over at Jozette. “I have my family.” And with that, Guy turned away from the general and pulled Luke along with him, eager to put that out of his mind.

The wedding was going to start soon, after all.


	39. I Do

Soon enough the entirety of the throne room had been completely filled, all of the available seats filled with the invited guests who murmured amongst themselves quietly. Whispers of disapproval filled the air, many of the nobility rejecting this notion of coming together in this kind of union, especially after how terrible their war had been the past two years. Spilled blood and old grudges held firm, and very few were willing to bend knee and give the opposing side a chance. The mistrust was palpable and did little to set the mood. 

Guy took his seat near the front and kept an ear out, feeling mild anxiety from such negativity. Meryl and Peony were going to have a tough road ahead of them if there was still so much opposition- though given their tenacity and stubbornness, they were going to force change whether the nobility accepted it or not.

Ion took his place before the throne, accompanied by Peony who stood to his left. The emperor looked pretty sharp, Guy had to admit, but the real eye catcher that had a lot of the people in the crowd buzzing was the fact that directly behind the emperor and the Divine were two very large dragons that towered over everything else in the room. Despite the chaos of the elven war and the lowering of the lands, many people had still believed that dragons were extinct. The shock on a number of faces present proved as much.

“My goodness, Luke certainly looks impressive like that, doesn’t he?” Lady Susanne asked as she placed a hand onto Guy’s arm. “You certainly are quite lucky. He seems to care about you a lot.”

“Yeah,” Guy smiled fondly towards the red, feeling the rings Jade had given him earlier in his pocket. “I don’t know what I did to deserve him-” he paused when he took notice of her hand. A ghost of a twinge shot up his spine, but beyond that… there was no panic, no urge to rip himself away from her, no fear. He had managed to outright grab Meryl back at Baticul and use himself as a shield for her, so… had he gotten through his phobia finally?

“Hm?” Susanne quirked her brows, “Is everything alright, dear?”

“I, uh-” The double doors to the throne room opened widely, and the small band of elvish musicians stationed off to the side of the throne started to play a sweet tune. Anise came skipping down the aisle, tossing handfuls of snowy white flower petals onto the silken carpet as the entirety of the guests stood up to face the door.

Clad in a gown of pure white with golden and royal red embellishments, a thick veil covering her face, and a large bouquet of red and gold flowers clutched tightly towards her chest, Meryl stepped forwards into view. Her father stood by her side, and while everyone stood in silent awe and watched as the two walked down the aisle together, Luke _really_ wished that he could have seen that huge, overgrown man stuffed into a fancy suit- that would have made this entire ceremony bearable.

Tear trailed behind the queen, carrying the dress’ massive train in her hands while each row of nobles bowed to Meryl as she passed- if reluctantly on the Malkuth side. The music died down as they approached the throne, and when she stood before the emperor, her grasp on the bouquet tightened as butterflies filled her stomach. This was it… She was getting her romantic, storybook ending!

Badaq gently took hold of one of her hands, giving it a light squeeze, before placing it in the Emperor’s grasp. “Take care of my baby,” he said, bowing his head to the man.

“You’ve my word,” Peony nodded, looking over to Meryl with a warm smile on his face. Badaq quietly excused himself and ducked back over to his seat, much to the dismay of the rather short and stout noblewoman who was sitting behind him.

“My lords and ladies,” Ion began, extending his arms out as if he were preaching a sermon in the cathedral, “We congregate together, both nations, beneath the eyes of the Seven to seek their blessing, guidance, and wisdom, for the new bond forged together between two nations in holy matrimony. Bitter enemies no more, this newly forged bond shall welcome a lasting era of peace and harmony as two become one.”

Meryl and Peony both pulled off their gloves, discarding them to the side as Ion brought out a beautiful ceremonial knife, handing it to the emperor first. Peony took hold of it, running the blade along the palm of his hand to draw a good amount of blood.

“May Shadow guide us out of darkness. May Gnome provide us solid foundations, may Sylph blow the winds in our favor,” he recited, handing the blade over to Meryl. 

She too, sliced her palm open, wincing slightly at the pain as blood pooled up on her skin. “May Undine change the tides of our fate, may Efreet’s fires protect us from harm, may Rem’s light illuminate our future.”

Peony held his bloodied hand out towards her and she accepted it with hers. Ion took a white silk cloth and bound the two of their hands together, knotting it twice. “May Lorelei watch over us,” the both of them said in unison, their blood mixing and staining the silk, to symbolize the joining of two nations. The two royals then kneeled, as Ion began to recite several prayers and initiate blessing after blessing, speaking of how the gods have smiled upon their union.

When all prayers, rites, and blessings had been given, a couple of elven servants came forth, one carrying a pillow that held the crowns, a couple others holding onto magnificent cloaks. Ion took the large golden crown and placed it atop Peony’s head, one of the elves then wrapping a cloak around his shoulders. Ion then placed the smaller golden crown onto Meryl’s head, the other cloak being draped around her shoulders.

“By the powers vested in me by the Seven, I do hereby officially decree you to be man and wife; Emperor and Empress.”

The royals then turned to face the nobility in the audience, the nobility all standing up from their seats to bow to the monarchs deeply. Hands still intertwined, the two royals descended down from the throne and walked down the aisleway together until they were out of view. Row by row the seated guests rose from their seats and slowly started to shuffle out after, a few guards now directing them out to the gardens where the reception was to take place.

When most of the nobility had left, Luke swapped back to his elven form and started to tug at his jacket’s collar again. “Man… I get it’s a royal wedding and all but did it have to be for _that_ long?” he groaned as Jade sighed and Susanne giggled.

“It’s traditional for royal weddings to have the seven verses and rites spoken for us. It’s of the belief that the gods will show us the way and will help us rule our people fair and justly.” Luke had to keep himself from snorting. Humans believed in the silliest of things.

“Yeah well, it was still long… ah well, at least Meryl and Peony are happy. That’s what’s important.” Luke shifted his weight from foot to foot. “Still, having to hold still for that long without going to sleep-” he stopped upon hearing heavy footsteps approaching, and glanced around to see the impressive outline of Badaq coming near. Even now, while he was unbound and could change shape whenever he liked, this man still managed to make him feel tiny.

“Drem yol lok, sahgo gein1, I am honored to stand before you once more,” Badaq bowed his head to him.

“You needn’t be so formal with me,” Luke shook his head and waved his hand dismissively.

“I just wanted to thank you personally, for taking such good care of my daughter while on your journey. You must imagine the surprise when it was relayed that Meryl had been crowned queen. And now, an empress. You have honored my family.”

“I crowned Meryl because she earned it. She demonstrated leadership and compassion for the people of Kimlasca.” Luke replied plainly.

“That she has,” Jade nodded as he changed forms. “She’s had quite the development since the beginning.”

“She is quite strong, smart, and deeply passionate. She comes to me for guidance, and calculates every possibility and consequence for her actions.” Susanne smiled happily. 

“Your words are far too kind,” Badaq sighed contentedly, feeling such joy.

“She’s an amazing woman,” Guy said as he stepped up to the group. “I’m honored to have met her and to call her a friend. So, why don’t we all head over to the reception and celebrate?”

“That sounds like a marvelous idea,” Susanne was positively beaming. Luke extended his arm out to her and grinned quite broadly.

“May I, my Lady?” he asked and she giggled softly, a faint blush on her cheeks.

“My, such a gentleman.” She gladly accepted his arm, but not before leaning over to Guy to whisper, “You have quite the catch.” She winked at him playfully.

“Don’t I?” Guy grinned.

 

The lot of them meandered over to the outdoor gardens and courtyard, which had been so decorated and gilded it hardly even looked elven anymore. Most of the nobility was scattered about, keeping to themselves in clusters with their respected countries, still far from happy about the forced merge. Jade and Badaq had veered off to spend their time at the banquet table, the human wanting to hear tales of their adventures, while Anise, Ion and Mieu were dancing to the music. Tear could be seen speaking with some of the nobility, likely trying to placate relationships and keep hostilities to a minimum- that was just like her. 

Guy opted to stand back and watch as Luke took Susanne out onto the dance floor, enjoying the fact that the two of them were having fun. His jovial mood was soured however when he noticed General Cecille in the corner of his eye. He sighed heavily and cast a glare her way. “What? What do you want?”

“I know you said that you want nothing to do with me, and if that’s still the case, I will respect that, but, please, please just give me a chance to talk to you, to explain.” she was wringing her hands together nervously. Guy stared at her for a few moments, eyeing her up and down. Her tone indicated that she was being sincere… Given how she acted earlier with General Frings, she must have had a change of heart regarding the citizens of Malkuth at some point after his arrest. Perhaps this was genuine…

“I… Fine,” he relented with a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair. “I’ll allow it.”

A small, relieved smile came to her face, and Guy twitched slightly. He could see his sister’s features in her face… How come he’s never noticed that before? Jozette motioned for him to follow, and led him away from the bulk of the party to a more quiet, secluded area. “You must understand,” she started, taking a seat on a stone bench that overlooked the gardens, “Tensions between Malkuth and Kimlasca were at an all time high, even before the war broke out. When your mother was forced to marry Malkuth nobility, it shamed our family.”

“Shame, huh?” Guy asked bitterly and Jozette held her hand up.

“Please, let me continue. I know this is hard to listen to, but it’s what I had been taught to believe since I was a child. Malkuth was beneath us, we were better than them, they were worthless, trash, disgusting… The fact that Eugenie had to marry one… She was disowned by our grandparents, and shunned by my parents. Our family lost credibility, and we were disgraced. I joined the military to try and restore glory to the Cecille name, to prove that we were still proud, true blooded Kimlascans that were willing to fight for the crown. When I received the orders to bring you in for execution, the amount of justified pride I felt sickens me now.” she bowed her head.

“So, that’s how we were viewed…” Guy muttered quietly as he crossed his arms. “That doesn’t explain how you went from wanting me dead to trying to establish a relationship.”

“After Queen Meryl took the throne and issued the ceasefire, I had to travel to Deo Pass to order the troops to withdraw. It was there that I met General Frings…”

“My commander?” Guy quirked his brow. Aslan had kissed her hand and she blushed so-... _Oh_! So that’s what it was...

“Yes. He made me realize that Malkuth citizens were human, too. He was smart, strong, a formidable opponent on the field, to be sure. I was… overjoyed to get the chance to work with him when both nations authorized the attack on Yulia city. General Frings showed me that I was wrong, that everything I had been taught was wrong. I deeply regretted my actions towards you, I hated the way that I thought of you, your sister, your mother. No amount of apologies can make up for how I treated you, but I hope that they can at least convey how sorry I am.”

Guy stared at her for a moment before he sighed heavily, taking a seat next to her. “I don’t know what to think. I’m still angry, I nearly died that day. But at the same time, I understand. It was war. I saw what the Malkuth soldiers thought of Kimlascans, I saw how perverse their anger was. Neither side is innocent, everyone did their part to foster hatred.”

“Right…” she looked up, watching Luke spin Susanne around on the dance floor. “You’ve chosen a good family for yourself. I just hope that… should you forgive me, I could be a part of that.”

“... It won’t be easy,” Guy started, glancing over to her, “It will take lots of work to get past things. But, you’re the only flesh and blood I have left, and, to be honest, I don’t know if I could live with myself if I didn’t at least try.”

“I am so grateful that you’re willing to give me a chance. Thank you, Gailardia.” Jozette smiled warmly at him. “I won’t waste this, I promise.” she extended her hand out towards him. Guy hesitated for a moment, but he nodded, meeting her halfway to shake her hand.

 

The song had come to an end and Lady Susanne was breathing hard. A huge smile was plastered to her face despite feeling the need to sit down and rest. “My goodness, I haven’t danced like that in so long! That was so much fun!”

“I am glad,” Luke grinned in reply. “Would you like to sit down and have a drink?”

“Yes, without question. I don’t have the energy I used to. But please, you don’t need to fret and tend to me, I can handle getting myself some wine. You should pay some attention to your little knight friend. He might get jealous if you spend too much time with me.”

Luke laughed heartily at that. “You’re right, he might. Well then, if you’ll excuse me, I will see you later,” he bowed to her before exiting the dance floor. There were so many different people present this night, the air was full of mana frequencies that clashed off of one another loudly. It didn’t help that there was loud conversations all around him, and that even more music was starting to play. The sound was overwhelming now that he tried to actively listen for Guy’s mana frequency, and he became overstimulated, dashing off to the side to swap to human form in an attempt to cut down on the noise.

“You okay?” Luke spun around and saw the barely-there outline of Guy standing close by. “You look a little pale. Too much noise?”

“Too much noise. I’ll be okay though-” The music cut off and the area went silent as the emperor and empress stepped out into view, the both of them having changed for the reception. Peony escorted Meryl out on the dance floor which had been cleared off, where he would lead her in their first dance. Music started to play again, and they danced, other nobles soon joining in after them. “You’ll save me a dance, right?” he looked back to Guy.

“Of course. Here, while everyone’s busy with dancing, I’ll go get us a couple plates of food since the table’s mostly empty. Pretty sure you’re hungry after all that standing around during the wedding ceremony. That sound good?”

“Definitely! I’ll be here.” Luke nodded.

When Guy returned with a couple plates of food, the two sat on the sidelines eating their fill, listening to the festive music and watching the guests dance. They talked, and told stories, until fireworks were shot up into the sky that exploded into beautiful arrays of colour.

“Oh, wow!” Guy said excitedly, watching them with a look of awe. “Oh, Luke, it’s so pretty!”

“Yeah, fireworks always are,” he nodded, his voice a little sad. “...I really wish I could see the ones tonight. For such a celebration, I’m certain they are far more beautiful than any I have seen in the past.”

“Hey, Luke, um…” Guy started, feeling his breath catch in his throat. This was a perfect opportunity, he couldn’t waste it. “You remember back in the throne room the other day, when you said that we were mates?” he pulled out a small velvet bag with a white ribbon, and upon opening it, drew out two very similar rings. On one ring was the etchings of swords from either side of gemstone, while the other were dragon wings. "I had Jade craft gems from that stone you gave me," he started, picking the one with the swords up into his fingers. "And I asked Tear who the best jewelcrafter was in the city to handle making the bands," he took Luke's hand to work the ring onto his finger. "It's something to wear to remind you, remind _us_ , of what we have."

Luke stared down at the rings with wide eyes, completely speechless. Words… couldn’t even begin to describe… His hands were trembling, and there were tears as he brought his hand closer to get a better look at it. “G-Guy, I… You had these made out of the mana crystal that I gave you?” his voice quivered a bit, a couple of those tears now spilling down his cheeks. “Mana crystals are so incredibly fragile. Normally if you try to do anything with them, they shatter back into dust. This is…” he trailed off, looking back down at his hand as the warmest possible smile could come to his face. “It’s pure mana… I can see it!” he laughed, more tears pouring over. “I can see the engraving! And the colour- I can see it!” Luke clutched his hand tightly to his chest as he squeezed his eyes shut, bowing his head. “Thank you…! This is the most… precious gift… I have no words…”

"You can see it?!” Guy was shocked, to be certain, “That’s fantastic! I'm so relieved you like it. I was kind of nervous that the etchings might be too... sappy for you." 

Luke laughed and used his other hand to wipe at his eyes, nodding. “It is, it completely is. It’s the sappiest thing I have ever seen, and that’s what makes it so meaningful. It’s so _you_. I love it, I love you,” he moved in to nuzzle the man softly and tenderly. “It’s worth more to me than the entirety of my hoard. I’ll never take it off.”

Before Luke could lean in to steal a kiss, a fair bit of yelling came from the courtyard along with… hoofbeats? He rubbed at his eyes to wipe away the tears and quickly swapped back over to his elven form, picking up the mana frequency of… oh that can’t be right. “What in the world is a forest nymph doing here?”

“Forest nymph?” Guy parroted, standing up to try and get a better look at the commotion.

A girl, who looked no older than Anise or Ion, with fair skin and pink hair and the lower half of a doe, came bounding into the courtyard, elven guards trailing after her as if trying to catch her. Most of the nobility looked quite alarmed, having never seen a creature such as this before, and the elves looked a bit startled, considering that nymphs tended to stay in the forests away from humanoids. The young nymph looked around frantically, before her eyes fell upon Tear and she rushed over to the princess’ side.

“Ana’malanore!2” she cried out, the guards ready to grab her but Tear held her hands up to stop them.

“Selama! Fallah’na.3” the guards backed off immediately. “What business have you here to intrude upon a private ceremony?” Luke winced a bit at Tear’s tone; elves and nature spirits really did have a terrible relationship with one another.

“Please! The forest is sick!” the girl pleaded out, “The plants, they’re dying! No magic will heal them- and the animals, they can’t breathe! A foul mist clings to the earth and they are choking!” Tear’s ears dropped when she heard this, and her head whipped around to look at Jade, who had been sitting nearby the emperor at the table. This sounded painfully familiar… “We need help!” the young nymph begged.

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the entire courtyard, the nobility too far out of their element to comprehend what was happening. Luke gave a quick glance over to Guy before he hurried over to the nymph, manifesting his draconic features so the girl knew who she was speaking to. 

The Nymph immediately bowed to him as he neared. “Ban’dinoriel!”

“Rise,” he said and she did so, looking up at him with fear filled eyes. “Your name?”

“Arietta,”

“Where hail you?”

“The northern forests, where the ligers roam,” she brought her hands up close to her chest.

“Describe this foul mist to me.”

Her nose scrunched up as she recalled it. “Thick, heavy, it stings when you try to breathe, and it makes you sick.”

“What color is it?”

“Pardon?” Arietta blinked. “Uh… purple, I think?” Luke immediately looked back to Jade, who stood up from his table to clap his hands together, drawing all attention to himself.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we thank you for attending this momentous occasion and partaking in the festivities. I’m afraid the reception is now over, so if you all could please return to your rooms for the evening, that would be most appreciated.”

As the guests started to file out, voicing their complaints that this had been much too short of a proper reception for such an occasion, Luke felt his heart start to race. The northern forests were a huge area, and the miasma was concentrated enough to drive the forest spirits to seek help from the elves… This did not bode well… For anyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Peace, fiery one  
> 2 Sanctuary!  
> 3 Stop! Let her speak.


	40. Efreet

As the party died down and the guests filed out of the courtyard, Guy promptly turned his attention to his companions who gathered around the nymph. “I think we’ve waited long enough to start this,” he sighed heavily, crossing his arms.

“More than long enough,” Meryl agreed with a sullen nod, “But two weeks was as quickly as we could make this ceremony happen.”

“No one is blaming you,” Jade cut in, bringing his hands around behind his back, “The unification of Kimlasca and Malkuth was sorely needed. We will need the combined efforts of both for the battles to come. This is an unfortunate circumstance- collateral damage, if you will.”

“W-what…?” Arietta looked up at the blue dragon with wide, tear-filled eyes. “P-please! The forest is dying! Mommy and her cubs are sick!” she implored for their help, for their aid, but Jade shook his head.

“The northern forests are a huge territory and we simply do not have the power ourselves to purify it-”

“I can,” Luke stepped forwards, to which Jade shot him a harsh glare.

“Out of the question. You’ll just be killing yourself if you were to attempt that. Have you forgotten the price you _just_ paid?” Jade shook his head. “Tear, offer sanctuary to the nature spirits.”

Tear looked downright _offended_ by that, her face scrunching up at the mere thought. “And if I refuse?” her tone was cold and incredibly harsh.

“Then the spirits will die, along with _all_ of the forest regions surrounding Yulia city, which means that you can kiss your hunting grounds goodbye.”

Tear clenched her hands up into tight fists, but, Jade was right. She couldn’t allow her people to starve, even if it meant having to put up with spirits from their long abandoned past. “...Fine,” she relented, much to the relief of Arietta. “Bring whomever you can, Yulia City will open its gates for you.”

“I will…! Thank you, your highness!” Arietta bowed deeply to the woman before scampering off, her hooves clicking against the stone.

“This is such a mess…” Anise shook her head, “What are we going to do first?”

“Release the gods, just like Lorelei instructed.” Luke replied, recalling the map that Lorelei had etched into his mind and the crystal, “The closest one to here is where Mt. Zaleho used to be. Efreet will be there.”

“We have to go _back_ to that graveyard?!” Anise cried out, looking visibly distressed to which Ion reached out and gently patted her shoulder in an attempt to console her. The girl shot him an appreciative smile albeit a weak one. It was hard to be positive in the wake of such death and destruction.

“Anise, if we don’t go, that graveyard will expand and cover the entirety of the world. We have to.” Guy asserted with a slight frown. None of them were thrilled at the idea of having to revisit the ruins of Daath. The memory of it still sent shivers down his spine to this day.

“Exactly, Gailardia.” Peony said with a firm nod. “Now, let’s all get packed and get a move on!” Everyone there stared at him and an awkward silence followed. “...What? What’s with those looks? We need to go get ready for the travel ahead.”

“No offense, your Majesty, but you just got married…” Anise started, raising a brow at him. “Don’t you and Meryl need to… I don’t know, stay here and work on your new empire, or something?”

“Absolutely not. Well, I mean, we should, we absolutely should, but the entirety of the _world_ is in jeopardy, and you expect us to just sit here and let you do all the work? Nonsense! We’re a team!” the emperor beamed. “And to hell with the idea of sitting back while you drag real, live gods into this fight! I plan to bear witness to this! This is history in the making and I’ll be damned if I miss it!”

“Assuming we’re successful,” Luke muttered.

“Get your affairs in order then. Someone needs to tend to the new empire while you’re away,” Jade replied.

Meryl smirked. “Already taken care of. Jozette Cecille and Aslan Frings! Two high ranking military officials from both sides. We have the utmost faith in their abilities. They will tend to things while we help you. So,” the empress clapped her hands, “let us stop wasting even more time! Gear up and get a move on! Meet out front of the palace when you have everything you need.”

“Actually,” Luke held his hand up, “because of what happened to Mt. Zaleho, there are no monsters guarding the area unlike the other locations. I can fly myself and Guy there really quick compared to all of us traveling together in one large group. Why don’t you all start heading to the Meggiora Highlands and we’ll meet you there?”

“That would cut down on time, and time is of the essence… Alright, you and Guy should set out immediately.” Jade nodded.

“We’ll meet you there as soon as we finish releasing Efreet,” Guy said, looking over to Luke. “Let’s get our stuff and get going.”

 

The two returned to their guest room, stripping off their noble finery to don armor. Guy grabbed their bags and made sure to stock it with items that they might need during their travels, and when everything was set, they hurried outside to get going. 

Guy climbed up into the saddle after Luke had transformed, clipping in with ease. “Alright, Luke, ready whenever you a-” he stopped when he saw one of their items bag move around. “Hang on, hang on!” he called out as the red had already raised his wings. Guy opened up the pack and found Mieu within, nibbling on one of the apple gels. “Mieu? When did you-? How?”

“Never underestimate the prowess of a cheagle,” Luke chortled amusedly.

“I thought I smelled apples, mieu... This stuff is too gummy!” the cheagle whined loudly.

“Well stop eating it, then,” Guy laughed as he pulled the cheagle out of the bag. “Those gels are expensive, you know. Anyways, you should stay here where it’ll be saf-”

“You promised not to leave me behind again!” Mieu protested with a small huff. “I still need to keep an eye on the both of you, mieu. The both of you tend to get hurt a lot.”

“Well, alright. But you’ll have to travel in the items bag for the flight. It’s the only way to make sure you won’t fall off. That okay?”

“Yes!” Mieu chirped, climbing out of Guy’s grasp over to the bag in question. He hopped in an made himself comfortable, burrowing in with the linens that were to be used for bandages. The knight ensured the bag was clasped shut and secured before he sat up and patted Luke’s back. 

“Alright, Luke. Straight up.” he instructed and the dragon complied, launching them upwards into the air.

 

The last time they headed to the volcano’s ruins, it had taken them roughly two hours on the backs of halla. With Luke’s wings it took them forty minutes this time. He swooped down and landed on a patch of flat ground, the area having shifted significantly since the rest of the outerlands had been lowered. When Guy was off his back, he swapped to his elven form and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate. There were no frequencies to be found beyond his, Guy’s, and Mieu’s. This place was entirely too dead.

“This is going to take forever to find…” Luke groaned.

“What are we even looking for anyways?” Guy asked.

“Remember back in Yulia City, the second time, when I got Asch back at the temple? That greenish blue crystal? We need to find a _giant_ one of those, somewhere here in this mess. I should be able to pick up on its frequencies when we get near it, but until then, I can’t see a damn thing here.”

“Trust me, be glad you can’t see right now,” Guy said grimly as he looked out, seeing the disgusting aftermath of the collapse once more. It had been awful the first time, but now the corpses were rotted, the stench overwhelming and sickening. “Do you know where it was located within Daath?”

“Mt. Zaleho,” Luke corrected. “And no, I don’t-” he had moved to take a step forward and tripped over something hard, grabbing onto Guy to keep himself from planting firmly on the ground. “Ful nii pah! Ruth gol… vis ni koraay…1” he cursed under his breath as he regained his balance. “I don’t want to know what I just tripped over, do I?”

Guy looked down and saw a severed limb by Luke’s feet. “Ah, no, you do not. Here,” he moved in front of Luke and bent forwards a bit, “climb on.”

“You sure you can carry me, our armor, and the bags?” Luke cocked a brow.

“And me!” Mieu popped out from the items sack.

“And Mieu?” Luke chuckled.

“You dare to underestimate my strength? I am offended, Luke. Offended.” Guy scoffed as Luke climbed on. Guy grunted a little at the weight, but soon enough he adjusted and straightened up a bit. “There we go. You got any sort of way to narrow down our search area beyond the volcano? This mess is huge…”

“Um…” Luke started, going into thought for a moment. Efreet was the god of fire, so perhaps… “I have an idea, but I need you to get us to the volcano’s ruins first.”

“Can do.” Guy nodded and set off.

 

It took a good half hour to navigate through the broken landscape, but Guy had done his best to get them there safely. Once on the outskirts of where the volcano once was, Luke held his hand out and saw tiny trails of red mana swirling near his fingertips. 

“We’re close. Just a second,” he summoned a large ball of flame in the palm of his hand. The mana in the surrounding air was now being channeled through Efreet. It lit up, a brilliant red that Luke could see clearly. He glanced around, seeing where it turned into a trail, and found where they needed to go. “Over there!” he pointed, and without hesitation Guy followed his directions.

The trail led up to a large pile of broken debris, much too big and heavy for them to be able to move. Luke hopped down off of Guy’s back and instructed him to step back, changing back to his draconic form to unleash a torrent of flame that melted away the mass of rock. Glittering green crystal could be seen where the debris once was.

“Found it!” Luke exclaimed, changing back to his elf form. A huge grin was on his face as he smugly looked over towards Guy. “When in doubt, fire solves everything.”

“I’m sure,” Guy muttered as he approached, eyeing the crystal. A red glow could be seen just beneath the surface, and the way it shimmered… it was almost like it was alive. “So… the god of fire is inside this?”

“Yeah. Step back a bit, this might be a little too hot for you to handle.” Luke warned. Guy nodded and stepped back to a safe distance, allowing Luke to perform the releasing ritual without worry for his safety. The red dragon pressed his palms up against the glassy surface and felt the deep heat within, along with a powerful presence that felt entirely too familiar to him. “Yol’Rah, Zu'u faan voknau hi. Zey!2” he commanded.

In an instant the gigantic crystal fractured, heat searing through the cracks before it exploded. The very air surrounding him ignited in a brilliant flame, the mana so thick and saturated it became tangible. The flames concentrated, creating a towering inferno that was so intense and hot, Luke had to back away out of fear for being burned. 

The flames solidified, Efreet having taken a physical form that was somewhat humanoid in shape, but Luke couldn’t quite discern what he was looking at. The god’s image was distorted at first, but the pure mana that comprised this divine being gave Luke the ability to see him properly, just as the mana crystal in his ring did. He stood there in a silent awe, marveling the god. Efreet was big, dark, and had smoke and flames covering parts of his body. 

_‘Wo faan… 3’_ Luke shivered at his voice, _‘Eh… Mirodah’Vild… nii lost kosaan lingrah tiid. 4’_

“Tol los ni dii faan.5” Luke argued. “Dii faan los Revak’yolus.6”

_‘Hi los Mirodah’Vild. Nii los wo hi los. Fahvos dreh hi vopraan zey nol laag?’_

“Ved’Fil.8” Luke said, and Efreet looked concerned. “Mu unt wah vokrii praan do rah. Hi los diist wah vopraan-9”

“Uh, Luke?” Guy spoke up from the side. “I don’t mean to interrupt but… is that _really_ Efreet?”

Luke quirked his brow and nodded slowly. “...Yes, why would you even doubt it? Just look at him.” he gestured over to the god.

Guy gazed past the red and looked at a small glowing orb of red light that seemed to chime in response to whenever Luke spoke. “...That’s a god?” Again, Luke nodded as he gave the human a bewildered look. “...Talk about disappointing.”

“Dis- disappointing!? What on Auldrant are you talking about!?” Luke practically shouted but Efreet could only laugh.

 _‘Joor los ni vos koraav mii fah fos mu re lay los, nuv vis nust hon mii. 10’_ Efreet supplied, and a look of understanding came to Luke’s face.

“Oh, that makes sense.” Luke said softly. “Mortals are incapable of seeing or hearing the gods. They’re beings of pure mana, you’re unable to perceive them as they truly are.”

“What? That’s so lame.” Guy frowned.

 _‘I am… unfamiliar with this tongue,’_ Efreet crossed his arms, tilting his head to one side, _‘Though if it is what you and your companion speak, so be it. Who is this?’_

“This is Gu- ah, Count Gailardia Galan Gardios, a noble and a knight. We’ve been traveling together for a long time.” Luke introduced him. 

Efreet moved closer and examined the man from head to toe. _’Hmm… the two of you are mates,’_ he observed and Luke’s face flushed a little. _’An interesting choice. Then again, Lorelei has always been odd. You’ve said your goodbyes to your mate, right?’_

“What? Why would I do that?” Luke asked slowly.

_’Did Lorelei not tell you where this journey would take you?’_

Guy watched as the colour seemed to drain from Luke’s face as the orb of light chimed, and he grew concerned, reaching out to touch his shoulder to try and see what was wrong. The red didn’t react at first, and it took Guy actually shaking his shoulder to snap him out of it. “Hey! Are you okay?”

“Huh? Uh- yeah… Yeah, I just, that took a bit more energy than I realized. I’ll be okay…” he tried to reassure him.

 _’No good will come if you don’t tell him.’_ Efreet warned, to which Luke shot a glare at the god from over his shoulder.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion,” he nearly hissed, turning his attention back over to Guy, “So, Meggiora?”

Guy stood there for a minute and eyed over Luke, trying to assess his physical condition. “Are you sure you’re in condition to fly? That’s a fair bit of travel, and if this took it out of you-”

“I’m _fine_ ,” Luke snapped impatiently, his expression souring a bit, much to Guy’s surprise.

“Luke, you’re acting weird-”

“I’m acting perfectly fine, now let’s _go_!” he demanded, shapeshifting then and there. He huffed somewhat aggressively, dragging his claws through the ground while a low growl escaped his throat.

Guy knew he was in no real position to argue so he obliged, climbing up onto the red’s back to strap into the saddle. When secure, he glanced over to the red orb and felt a sense of anxiety building up within him… Something obviously wasn’t right here, and even though they needed the gods to fight against the miasma, somehow he felt far from safe now that he was in the presence of one.

Were the gods actually going to help them? Humanity had been deemed unworthy by them to the point of being thrown onto an artificial world to be kept away from magic…

His thoughts were silenced when Luke took to the air, and Guy had to focus on directing Luke away from Daath to get to Meggiora. The next god was there awaiting them, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Damn it all! Fucking stone... Can't even see  
> 2 Fire God, I call upon you. Come!  
> 3 Who calls...  
> 4 Eh... Lorelei... It has been a long time.  
> 5 That is not my name.   
> 6 My name is Sacred'Flame.  
> 7 You are Lorelei, it's who you are. Why did you awaken me from my slumber?  
> 8 Poison'Mist  
> 9 We are trying to revive the rest of the gods. You are the first to awaken-  
> 10 Mortals cannot see us for what we really are, nor can they hear us.


	41. Sylph

_Luna Redecan, Lunaday 28 N.D. 2018_

The flight to the Meggiora Highlands had been quiet but restless. Guy only spoke up whenever they needed to change directions, but beyond that, there was relative silence. The sun started to peek over the horizon, and Guy had a hard time keeping himself from yawning. A wedding ceremony and reception followed by an all night excursion to the ruins of Mt. Zaleho, he was certainly exhausted. After freeing the next god, they definitely needed to stop for some rest.

“Hey, Luke?” Guy spoke up, “which god is in the highlands, anyways?”

“Sylph.” the red replied curtly.

 _’Sylph will not be happy to learn about what has transpired,’_ Efreet said, the fire god traveling alongside them through the air, _’Undine and Shadow will undoubtedly be furious as well.’_

“Whatever,” Luke started to beat his wings faster to outpace him, wanting to put some distance between them. After what had just happened, he was in no mood to deal with him.

 

They arrived at the highlands mid morning, Luke positively ready to drop and Guy faring no better. The two of them had planned to rest for a bit, wait on the others arriving before tending to Slyph’s release, but they weren’t given that luxury as Ginji circled overhead.

“Oh, perfect…” Luke muttered as the blue dragon touched down. “Hey, Ginji… Nice to-”

“What are you doing in my territory?” Ginji asked sternly.

“-see you,” Luke finished, narrowing his gaze at the blue. “Don’t pull this crap with me, Ginji. I know you dislike me, but right now, I need your cooperation.”

“Cooperation for _what_? The lands were lowered and there’s no more damn war. As far as I’m concerned, you owe me fo-“ He stopped short, seeing the god of fire behind the red. Ginji backed away immediately and then bowed deeply to the being. “Yol’Rah! Mii faan los hi… 1”

 _’Rise, child. This is hardly a formal situation.’_ Efreet instructed.

“Luke, why is the _god of fire_ with you?!” Ginji nearly screeched.

“We’re sort of here for Sylph, and we need your help finding her.” Guy said with a yawn, rubbing at his eyes. “If you could just point us in the direction of the giant mana crystal, that would be great.”

Ginji looked bewildered. “Mana crystal? And why would Sylph even be here? You assume I would even know _where_ it is. I haven’t seen anything like that in the millenia I have served here. Are you sure that Sylph is here and not elsewhere?”

“Positive. Lorelei wouldn’t leave me with false information.” Luke asserted.

 _’But he will omit critical information. I never did understand him very well,’_ Efreet sighed. _’Worry not, I know where Sylph is. Please, follow.’_

 

Efreet led them down a steep path that spiraled into an underground cavern. Judging by the smell, Luke knew that this was where Ginji had made a home for himself. He had expected to see piles of treasure akin to his own, but instead found heaps of junk and broken scrap- cogs, gears, broken technology that had very little or no value at all. Honestly, what kind of a dragon even bothered to collect things like this-

“Guy, I know you like to tinker with things but don’t touch Ginji’s trash.” Luke said somewhat dismissively which only drew the blue’s ire.

“I swear- if it wasn’t for Asch, I would have beat that smug attitude out of you centuries ago.” Ginji huffed and Luke abruptly stopped walking, casting his gaze to the floor. “What? Don’t tell me you suddenly feel bad-”

“No, it’s… You wouldn’t have heard about this. Asch... isn’t exactly around anymore…” he muttered quietly and Ginji looked _very_ concerned.

“What? What do you mean by that? Luke- talk to me! What happened?!”

“Asch and Sync were miasma poisoned. Badly. Right now, there’s a rogue goddess running loose, using them as her puppets.”

Ginji fell silent as he stared at the red. “That’s… tell me that’s not true…” his voice waivered.

“I never really understood your relationship with one another, but I know the two of you were a lot closer than you admit to.” he recognized that panic and worry, what it meant, “I’m really sorry, Ginji. He’s gone. There was nothing that I could do to-...I had also been… Damnit, I wish I could have done _something_.”

Guy winced when Luke said that. The broken defeat in his voice… And there was nothing that he could do to console him from this pain. The loss of a family member was hard, the loss of a twin, one whose very soul he shared, he couldn’t even begin to imagine how much that would hurt.

“And he’s- his body is still being used by this goddess? Sync, too?” Ginji asked and Luke nodded. “I’m coming with you. They both deserve to be put to rest, and that rogue goddess- you’re trying to find the gods to take her on, right? I want in on that. How _dare_ she use them in such a manner…!” he bared his fangs, snarling lowly. “She won’t get away with this… I’ll make sure of it!”

 

Efreet took them to the very back of the cave and melted a good portion of the rock wall, pools of hot magma forming on the floor to reveal a hidden chamber that housed the sought after crystal. Luke proceeded forwards while the others kept back, scraping his claws against the smooth surface, seeing the green light within pulsating anxiously. 

“Ekrah do Qobo’Ven, dii faan.2” he spoke, and the crystal shattered just as the last one did. Instead of hot flames, an intense gale ripped through the cavern, nearly blowing Mieu away who had tried to sneak a peek at what was happening out of the items bag. The winds died down and concentrated into a small green ball to Guy and Mieu, but to the dragons, a young looking girl floated in the air. She looked no older than Ion or Sync had, and was remarkably human in appearance save for the mass of green feathers and wings that comprised her hair. 

She stretched herself out for a few good moments and then looked to Luke, _‘Ah..! Mirodah’Vild! Lingrah tiid nid koraav! 3’_ she grinned. _‘Komaan hi praag zey? 4’_

 _‘Ahnok, Qobo’Ven. 5’_ Efreet hailed before Luke even had time to get a word in. Sylph looked at Efreet and then frowned.

 _‘Eh jul! Fahvos drey hi komeyk mok? 6’_ she pouted, crossing her arms. 

Ginji stood there utterly confused, watching this bizarre display. “Are they… supposed to be like that?” he asked as Luke shrugged.

Guy let out a groan and shook his head. “Sylph’s free, and I’m about to pass out from exhaustion. Can we please go make camp and wait for the others to arrive?” He was completely uninterested in watching two colourful balls of light chime at one another incessantly. In fact, it was getting downright annoying being the only one caught out of the loop again, as he was only able to hear roughly half the conversation, if that.

“Camp sounds like a good idea…” Luke said with a yawn, all too eager to catch up on some much needed sleep. 

When Sylph heard this, she let out an exasperated groan and shook her head. _’What?! No way! You can’t go to sleep, you just woke me up and busted me out! Take some responsibility for your actions!’_ she huffed, resting her hands on her hips.

 _’Let them rest, Sylph. I can bring you up to speed on the events taking place.’_ Efreet offered, though it did little to improve the wind goddess’ mood.

 

They had made camp outside of the cave where they could bask in the warmth of the sun. Luke laid out on the ground and curled around his human companion that had nestled up against his side, the both of them fast asleep. Ginji kept nearby and observed them silently, feeling a minor pang of jealousy he hadn’t expected to feel. Luke had been willing to go against traditions and rules by making that human his mate, that required a level of courage that both he and Asch had lacked for too long. A natural-hatched with a godling… and of different flights, what would everyone think?

Regret was an ugly stain on his consciousness… So much time wasted trying to appear proper. What he wouldn’t give right now just to have one more day with him...

The blue turned his attention over to the two gods who were conversing with one another not too far off, keeping their conversation somewhat private. It was so surreal to be in their presence, the beings who created this world in times long lost, who held more power than even he. Yet, despite their grandeur, they acted very casually, almost like mortals. He couldn’t help but to wonder just what it was going to be like when all of them were present. It was probably going to be awe inspiring if anything. Also, legend had it that Rem was of particular beauty.

 

Two and a half hours later, when the sun was high overhead, Ginji’s head popped up when he heard the rapid approach of hoofbeats. To the north, the rest of the group came riding in on the backs of elven steeds, a couple of halla trailing behind them to pull an aravel with all of their supplies.

“There they are!” Anise called out, steering her halla towards the two dragons.

Luke stirred from the noise and opened up his eyes slowly, seeing Anise and Ion dismount their halla, soon followed by the others. “Hm, took your sweet time getting here did you?” he snorted, but Anise pushed that aside, looking around the makeshift campsite eagerly.

“Where are they?! Where are the gods!?” she asked eagerly. Ion, Meryl, Tear, and Peony all came rushing over after, just as eager to meet the divine beings in person. Jade followed along not too far behind, brows raised as an amused smirk came to his face.

“They’re over there,” Luke nodded his head to the side. Anise looked past him, and her excited grin fell into a confused look when all there was to be seen were the two balls of different coloured light.

“That’s…” Meryl trailed off, not entirely sure how to put it into words.

“Boring!” Anise cried out, throwing her hands up into the air. “You have to be kidding me! We came _all_ this way on the backs of halla for _this_!? Do you know how bad halla start to smell when they’ve been ridden on for that long!?”

“A-Anise, please,” Ion tried to hush her.

Peony stared at the orbs for a long while in silence before he spoke up, “I don’t get it.”

“Yes, I am also confused…” Tear looked quite puzzled by this. “We were able to see that other goddess without issue, so I’m afraid I don’t quite understand.”

“Well, miasma is nothing more than mana channeled through Lorelei that’s become corrupt.” Jade supplied while Luke gently nosed at Guy to wake him. “That source of corruption comes from mortals specifically, it’s something that you’re familiar with, something you’ve experienced. Of course you would be able to perceive her properly.”

Guy yawned and sat up, stretching until he could feel his joints pop. “Mm, I need more sleep…” he muttered before standing up. “Welcome back, everyone. I take it by the disappointed looks on your faces, you’re not all that thrilled that we can’t see or hear them, right?”

“You got it,” Anise sighed. “Honestly... It’d be cool if we at least knew what they looked like. Could one of you describe them?”

“Um, it’s kind of hard to describe?” Luke started, glancing back over at the divine beings. “Efreet’s big and fiery and Slyph is small and windy?”

“Truly, you are a master of words,” Jade chided with a grin.

“Alright smartass, you try and describe them.” Luke growled a little.

Jade abstained, instead summoning his spear to etch the gods’ likenesses into the dirt with surprising accuracy. Everyone crowded around to get a good look at Jade’s depictions, and Guy found himself glancing from the drawings back to the orbs, unable to believe it. To think that tiny ball of red was actually this gigantic, powerful _god_ that actually looked like this…

“Efreet looks so cool!” Anise gasped, looking at the drawing with marvel.

“Indeed,” Tear agreed with a nod. “Most impressive.”

“I think Sylph looks especially pretty,” Ion said with a polite smile.

While the two gods in question had moved in a bit closer to overhear the praise and attention they were receiving, Sylph froze upon seeing Ion’s face and her mouth hung agape. She stammered, unable to speak anything for a few solid moments while the group continued to praise and laud them. Finally she spoke, and it was something that neither Luke nor Ginji could have ever anticipated.

 _’E-Elskah’Gein… Elskah los tol hi...? Nii los... Hi los het us zey ahrk Zu'u nis gevoth voth hi, 7’_ her voice quivered painfully, tears rolling down her face. The goddess disappeared in a gust of wind and reappeared just in front of Ion, reaching out to cup his face gently, gazing upon it with fondness and remorse.

Ion held still, not daring to move with Sylph trained on him. He couldn’t see her, or hear her words beyond the chimes, but he could definitely feel her, the softness of her hands on his cheeks, how delicate and light they felt. He glanced over to Luke, looking for some sort of translation because at the moment, he was just a little uncomfortable not knowing what was going on.

Surprisingly, it was Ginji who spoke up first. “Him? He’s Elskah? How? How is that remotely possible? Elskah was Qo’s and Stahraal’s broodmate, this child is a human.”

“Elskah?” Ion furrowed his brow, the name feeling foreign to his tongue.

“It was 800 years ago, that’s plenty of time to be reborn through the cycle of reincarnation-” Luke started but Ginji shook his head.

“Dragons don’t _get_ reincarnated, Luke!” Ginji shook his head.

“They do when they’re killed by a certain sword.” Jade spoke up and suddenly, all eyes were on the older blue.

“Jade, what aren’t you telling us this time?” Guy asked as Jade brought his hands around behind his back. “You definitely know what’s going on here.”

“The great mystery of why Ion, a human being, and Sync, a dragon, looked exactly alike was never really a mystery. Our resident wind goddess created three godlings a little over 2000 years ago for gateway duty. Qobo’Qo, Elskah’Gein, and Stahraal’Gein. Godlings are created from the gods themselves, their very beings split up into tiny fragments to form new souls. 800 years ago, back when dragon hunting was at its peak, Elskah was killed by a Gardios.” Guy bit the inside of his cheek, clenching his hands up into tight fists. “That blade can do many terrifying things… The worst of all was watching it rend dragons mortal and damning them to eternal, recycled life cut off from magic.”

“Are you seriously trying to tell me that Ion is a reincarnated dragon?!” Ginji balked at the idea.

“Worse. Ion is a piece of Sylph that can never be given back and made whole.” The group fell silent at Jade’s words. Anise stared at her divine with wide eyes, not wanting to believe it. That was… that was cruel. Ion had always been so kind, loving, gentle. He didn’t deserve this, and he certainly didn’t deserve to be killed in a previous life!

“Did… Did you know about this the entire time you’ve known me, Jade?” Ion asked, slowly looking over towards him as to not outright break away from Sylph’s touch.

“The entire time? No. However, seeing Sync’s unconscious form back at Tataroo Valley was enough to put the pieces together. I didn’t say anything because we had more pressing matters to attend to. We still do, by the way. Standing around here talking about the distant past will get us nowhere while the miasma continues to spread.”

“Jade! That’s too cold!” Meryl started but Ion shook his head.

“No, I agree with him. The miasma is more important than my supposed origins. I do feel a bit of pain, yes, but we have a task that we need to complete. I can worry about this later, when the world is no longer in danger.”

“Ion…” Anise whispered softly, admiring the strength that he had to face this.

“Would you just answer two things for me before we go?” Ion asked Jade. The dragon nodded in reply. “The other one… Straahl?”

“Stahraal,” Jade corrected.

“What happened to him?”

“I believe he went into hiding after Eskhal’s death, leaving gate duty to Qo. I’m not sure where he went though, it’s not like I keep track.”

“What do those names mean? Qo, Stahraal, Eskhal?”

“Qo means Lightning, Stahraal means Innocent, and Eskhal,” he paused, looking at Sylph holding the boy in a tight, loving embrace, “Eskhal means Cherished.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Efreet! I am not worthy...  
> 2 Goddess of Swift'Winds, heed my call!  
> 3 Ah! Lorelei! Long time no see!  
> 4 Decided you needed me?  
> 5 Hello, Sylph.  
> 6 Ah man! Why did you invite him?  
> 7 C-Cherished'One... Cherished is that you...? It is... You are here before me but I cannot connect with you,


	42. Rivalries and Revelations

“So,” Peony spoke up once the dust had settled a bit, “now that we’ve got two out of the seven freed, where do we go from here? Is there some specific order that’s required in this process, or did we luck out and get to pick whichever one is closest?”

“There’s a loose order,” Jade replied as he pulled out the inscripted crystal that Lorelei had made for them, glancing down at the map and instructions. “Before we can even touch Rem or Shadow, we need Gnome and Undine to be released. And for Lorelei, all six of them must be present. From here, Gnome is in the ruins of Zao, and Undine is back in Tataroo Valley.”

“Zao is closer, though it’ll take us a while to get there. It’d be so much faster just to fly, but it’s not like the two of you can carry all of us for such a long distance.” Meryl sighed with a slight frown. Asch had been… difficult to work with, but at least he provided an extra pair of wings to help them when needed. 

Ginji stepped forwards towards the group. “I’m here to help,” he said with a nod, “And I am certain that my sister will be willing to offer aid as well. She’s the guardian of Zao.”

“Can the three of you carry this many people for such a distance?” Tear asked, looking slightly concerned. “It’s a long flight, isn’t it?”

“Roughly six hours from here,” Ginji confirmed. “There’s three of us and six of you, that’s two people per.”

“Except that I’m equipped with a saddle made for one person and that saddle has some weight to it,” Luke huffed in annoyance. “Enough weight that it’s close to me carrying two people already. If I were to carry anyone else it would have to be Anise since she’s the smallest. But, there’s the fact that she’s a girl…”

“Is… that a problem?” Ginji asked confusedly.

“Actually, I think it won’t be,” Guy was almost smiling. “I… I think I’ve finally gotten over it. If I leave the bottom three clasps of my armor undone and scoot back on the saddle, Anise should be able to sit in front of me for the flight pretty comfortably.”

“You’ve finally gotten over your phobia?!” Anise cried out excitedly.

“That’s wonderful news!” Meryl clasped her hands together, positively overjoyed to hear this.

“I’m proud of you, Gailardia.” Peony clapped a hand onto Guy’s shoulder and gave it a good squeeze, jostling him playfully. “I know just how detrimental that had been to living your life normally. It must have taken a lot of strength to overcome such a thing.”

“Thank you, your majesty.” Guy chuckled warmly. Meryl stepped in closer towards him and he opened up his arms, allowing the empress to hug him. The last time Meryl had held onto him, he had cried out of fear and terror. This time, there was nothing but joy to be felt, being finally free from that painful burden that had chained him down for so long.

“No fair, no fair! I want a hug from him too!” Anise rushed in, crowding the two of them in an attempt to worm her way into the embrace.

“Could someone please explain to me what is happening?” Ginji once again sought for clarification.

“Sorry, Ginji,” Guy apologized to the blue, “It’s kind of a long story, but essentially, my family had been killed when I was very little,” Jade tensed up and took a step backwards from the group, “The experience that resulted from it left me with a deep phobia of women that I have finally gotten over now.”

“I see. I am sorry about your family.” Ginji bowed his head to the human.

“It was the unfortunate circumstances of religion and politics mixed together… Heh, maybe that’s why I was never really devout.” Guy shrugged.

“You’d openly admit that in front of two of the pantheon and the leader of the Order?” Ginji eyed him over. “You have guts.”

“Jade, are you alright?” Tear spoke up, and all attention was diverted to the older blue. “You’re looking more contemplative than usual.”

“It’s nothing. Just thinking about the past,” he tried to dismiss it.

“Anything in particular?” she asked and Jade’s eyes grew cold and nearly mournful.

“Mistakes and regretful actions. But, I’m not interested in sitting here licking old wounds. We need to keep moving-”

“If we’re going _anywhere_ right now, it’s to Sheridan. I am _exhausted_.” Luke stamped his forefoot onto the ground. “We need sleep and we need to sort through our supplies. With Ginji’s help, the halla and aravels will no longer be necessary, so they need to be dealt with as well.”

“I’ve got some connections in Sheridan,” Ginji said before reverting back to his human form. “Iemon, Tamara, and Aston run the local forges and smithies. In my spare time I’d go and help them out with their projects. They owe me a few favors and should be able to help with lodging for the night.”

“That would be most appreciated,” Meryl smiled at him, but Luke could only roll his eyes.

“In your spare time?” he mocked. “Rem, did none of the other guardians actually perform their duties?”

“Hey, I’ve been stuck here for 8,000 years.” Ginji snapped back at Luke. “The highlands are a landlocked prison that gets _boring_. I’m a _water element_ dragon, and I got stuck _here_ of all places. Sheridan is by the sea, of _course_ I try to spend time there so I don’t go mad.”

 _‘Vaan’Viin,’_ Sylph cleared her throat and Ginji immediately stood at attention before dropping down to his knees, bowing to her.

“Forgive my insubordination, your grace!”

“Well, while Ginji prostrates himself, let’s start heading over to Sheridan,” Jade said as he wrangled up his halla and remounted it. “It’ll be about a half hour trip from here.”

“Ugh… I never want to see another halla again after this,” Anise groaned with a sour expression. Ion could only laugh weakly, gently patting her back.

“No way in hell I am riding on one of those things while I can’t see.” Luke shook his head firmly.

“You can ride in the back of one of the aravels,” Tear said as she climbed back up onto her mount. “It’ll be slower, but you can rest there without worry.”

“How undignified…” Luke huffed, swapping shape.

 

Sheridan had been a place that Guy had always wanted to come visit one day, right along with Belkend. If there was one thing that the (former) Kimlascan kingdom held over the (former) Malkuth empire, it was that they were far superior in their technological advances. Sheridan and Belked were their two main cities that were devoted to engineering, science, and craftsmanship. It was hard to keep the smile off of his face as they arrived into the city, eager to see just where everything was made, and more importantly, how it was made.

Most of the townspeople were greatly startled by their arrival, having never seen an animal quite like the halla before. The citizens kept their distance, save for three elderly looking folk who eyed the group quite critically until they spotted Ginji amongst them.

“Ginji, there you are! About time you came back, we have a mountain of work for you,” the first older man huffed impatiently.

“Oh, Iemon, can’t you say hello first like a normal person?” the older woman sighed aggressively, resting her hands on her hips. “Sorry, Ginji. We just have an absurd amount of projects all going simultaneously and we’re very short on hands.”

Guy’s face lit up. “I would love to hel-” he started only to be interrupted by a sharp elbow to his ribs from Luke.

“It’s alright, Tamara. I wish I could stick around and help but I’m actually here only for the night.” Ginji replied easily. The second man stepped forwards and looked about the weary group, humming aloud.

“Hmm… Who’re your friends here, Ginji? Never seen the likes of them before- or whatever those… animals are.” A halla honked at him and he stumbled backwards, much to Luke’s amusement.

“Ah, forgive me for not introducing you all properly.” Ginji looked back over to the group, “Everyone, this is Iemon, Tamara, and Aston, the heads of Sheridan’s engineering-”

“ _The_ Class M?!” Guy gasped, his eyes brightening with passion. “I’ve read every report you’ve published about advanced engineering techniques and the theory behind using alternative power sources like coal, electricity, and steam! Class M and Class I have been my idols for as long as I can remember!”

“Feh, Class I,” Iemon spat, “They’re a bunch of no good copy cats that skated their way through the Royal Academy riding our coattails. The only thing they’re good at is refining what we’re already using. They lack the passion and drive to be innovating! Too scared to take risks!”

“Hear, hear!” Aston and Tamra cheered.

“I didn’t realize Guy was such a gearhead…” Anise whispered to Meryl.

“I think it’s cute how excited he gets over things like this,” Meryl whispered back.

“Aha, anyways, Iemon, Tamara, Aston, these are my travel companions. That’s Luke, Jade, Guy, uh… Ion?” Ginji suddenly felt a bit embarrassed that he didn’t know everyone’s names. 

Ion warmly chuckled and nodded, “Yes, I am Ion. This is Anise, Emperor Peony and Empress Meryl-”

“E-Emperor Peony?!” Tamara stuttered, looking at the man with wide eyes. “What’s the Emperor of Malkuth doing here?!”

“And did you say ‘Empress Meryl’ and not Queen?” Aston asked. The two royals merely held up their left hands to display the golden wedding bands on their ring fingers.

“This is also princess Tear from the elven kingdom,” Ion introduced and Tear curtsied.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” she smiled at them.

“A-An elf?!” Iemon balked, looking between Tear and Luke. “Two elves?!”

“Actually, I’m a dragon.” Luke shrugged.

“A d-dragon…?!” Aston stuttered, staring at the redhead wide eyed as he took several steps back.

“What? Why’re you so surprised? Ginji’s one too.” Luke stated a little too casually and the younger blue whipped around to face him, a scowl on his face.

“I never _told_ them that!” he threw his arms up into the air as if to make a point of showing his frustration.

“I apologize that we’ve gotten so far off topic,” Jade stepped in, “Ginji had told us that you would be able to help us find some lodging for the night. We’ve been on the road for a long while and would like to get some before continuing on our way tomorrow.”

“I-... Uh, right… Just, head to the inn on the eastern side of town and tell the clerk Iemon sent you. You’ll get the night for free.” the old man said warily, keeping his sights on Ginji. Jade thanked him and ushered the group along, although Ginji chose to linger behind for a moment. “Ginji… are you really-?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” he said softly, looking down at the ground. “I hope that you’ll still allow me to work with you on projects.”

“Of course you will! Only now you better understand that we’re going to make you do twice as much as before.” Tamara grinned. “You’re more than capable of handling that type of workload, and while we might be sharp as ever, we are starting to slow down a bit. We’re going to need the help if we want to stay on top! We do have a reputation to maintain, and we don't trust just _anyone_ with our projects.”

Ginji laughed, a warm smile coming to his face. "Looking forward to it!"

 

They were given three rooms to divvy up amongst the nine of them, and while room arrangements were being decided, Jade went off with Tear to find some place to leave the halla safely while they would be traveling. Luke picked the furthest room to the left and collapsed face first onto the bed by the window, letting out a long, tired groan into the pillow. “Bed… Such a nice, soft, warm bed… So nice…”

“Jeez, Luke. You ought to marry that bed if you’re so attached to it.” Anise snickered as she poked her head into the doorway. Luke merely replied by lifting his hand up to give her a rather obscene gesture. “You get cranky when you’re tired.” she observed.

“Also hungry,” Luke sounded off, not bothering to raise his head from the pillow. “But at this point, I’m too tired to even bother with food. I just want to sleep.”

“Well, you should eat _something_ ,” Guy said as he entered the room, setting his bags down onto the bedside table. One of them started to rustle and Mieu popped out, looking around a bit blearily as if he had just been awakened from a nap. Guy reached out and pet the small creature before picking him up into his arms, the cheagle chirping happily in reply. “You know I start to worry about you when you begin to skip meals.”

“I’ll eat something tomorrow before we leave. I just want to get some sleep.” Luke sighed, closing his eyes.

Guy watched him for a moment before a slight frown came to his face. “Luke, you’ve been acting differently since you released Efreet… is everything alright?”

“No.” Luke muttered.

“Do you want to talk about it…?” Luke shook his head. Guy sighed heavily and busied his hands by petting the cheagle again. “Alright… Well, I’m heading off with the others to go get some food. I’ll see you tomorrow. Try to feel better and get some rest.”

When Guy had exited the room and closed the door behind him, Luke let out a long, shaky breath. He rolled onto his side, staring blankly out into the darkness until both Sylph and Efreet came into his peripheral vision. The two of them were whispering about something to one another, he didn’t particularly care to listen, but damn was it annoying after a while.

 _‘You’re afraid.’_ Efreet stated finally, and Luke had to force himself to keep from laughing bitterly. Of course he was, who _wouldn’t_ be afraid of the inevitable fate that loomed over his head, drawing ever nearer with each passing day, with each new god they release?

“I didn’t ask for your commentary,” Luke snapped, rolling over onto his other side to face away from them.

_‘You can try to brush us off all you want, kid, but that won’t change anything. You need to accept it and-’_

Luke abruptly sat up and cut Sylph off. “No. I don’t have to accept a damn thing, and I sure as hell won’t accept this just because you tell me to!”

 _‘Have you forgotten your sworn duty to serve us?’_ Efreet asked. That struck a nerve, and Luke grabbed the pillow, throwing it at the god without any care. Of course, being made of pure mana, the pillow merely sailed right through Efreet without effect.

“I have done _nothing_ but bend over backwards to serve you and the others since the moment I was created! I have given _everything_ to protect this world and its people! You would _dare_ to suggest that I have forsaken my duty!? I don’t understand what else you could possibly want from me!” Luke nearly shouted. “What is it that you want me to say!? Do you want me to say I’m scared? Alright, fine. I’m _terrified_! I don’t want to have to die in order for Lorelei to be released, I want to keep protecting this world with my own two hands!” Hot tears spilled down his cheeks and he was left there, shaking. “I-I don’t… I don’t want to die…!”

Tear stood on the other side of the door with wide eyes, and after a few long, tense moments, had to bring her hands up to cover her ears to try to drown out the sounds of Luke’s broken sobs.


	43. Gnome

That night had been long, uncomfortable, stuffy, and entirely too restless. At some point in the evening the group had returned from their stint at the local cafe, and Luke had been, unfortunately, jostled awake when Guy climbed into his bed to snuggle up next to him. He had held still, pretending to be asleep, and he waited until Guy’s grip around him had loosened before sitting upright. He could hear Ion’s frequency nearby, which meant that the Divine had ended up taking the other bed in their room. Luke counted his blessings that the kid was a moderate sleeper and Guy was a fairly heavy sleeper. He really didn’t want to deal with anyone at the moment.

As much as he cared for and adored Guy, being so close to him felt entirely too suffocating right now. Luke wanted to sleep, badly, but anxiety and worry filled his mind with busying thoughts that made it impossible to just lie down and drift back off. A walk would probably do him some good- the fresh air would definitely help relax him. 

Silently, he pried himself out of bed and carefully shuffled over to the doorway, his hands blindly groping about the wall to locate the door’s handle. As much as the gods had been insufferable, being able to partially see with them around had been a blessing that he started to rely a bit too heavily on. It was now a challenge to get around relying solely on frequencies again, especially now where he was the only one awake and his frequency only carried so far. After a few frustrating minutes of stumbling around blindly while trying to be as quiet as possible, he found the knob and stepped outside, greeted by a cool sea breeze that carried the scents of salt and high tide. 

The sound of crashing waves up against the pier and docks already did wonders to soothe his frayed nerves. He very carefully eased himself down the stairs that led up to the inn, and worked his way over to the east until he found a ledge that overlooked the water. He grasped the railing tightly and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath before exhaling loudly. Finally, it felt like he could actually breathe again. Everything had just been so _stressful_ and _fast_ the past few weeks… Ending the war with the elves, the rebirth of that miasma goddess, losing his sight, the wedding, and now this new mission to release the gods… It seemed like, at the rate everything was going, the rest of the gods would be freed by next Remday.

...Was that really all the time he had left?

_Luna Redecan, Efreetday 29 N.D. 2018_

Morning had come _far_ too quickly for Guy’s liking, the knight still feeling traveler’s fatigue deep in his bones despite his restful slumber. Thankfully Jade had been merciful and allowed them to at least sleep in until midmorning, understanding that the mere mortals of the group were soft, squishy beings that were far less durable than dragons. Even better, he sent Tear to act as the alarm clock instead of Peony. As much as Guy liked the Emperor, Peony could be utterly intolerable with his chipper morning attitude... 

“It’s time to get up, we need to be leaving soon.” Tear gently shook Guy’s shoulder to stir him. The knight merely groaned and rolled over, planning on burying his face into Luke’s hair only to find that his half of the bed was remarkably empty. He pried his eyes open to find that Luke indeed wasn’t present and he blinked slowly before looking over to Tear.

“...Where-?”

“He’s out with Ginji and Jade near the outskirts of town. They’re waiting on us.” she supplied and Guy sat up, scratching the back of his head before taking a good long moment to stretch.

“Mm, did he eat?” he asked with a yawn.

“Yes, he did.” she nodded, taking a step back to allow him to get up. 

For a brief moment she considered telling him what she had overheard last night, when she had come back from leaving the halla with a local stablehand. Luke’s cries still echoed in her ears and weighed heavily on her heart, but she knew that there was nothing that could be done to ease his suffering. The gods were necessary in this upcoming fight, and as much as it _pained_ her to think this, Luke’s death is necessary to bring about the gods.

Guy deserved to know the truth. The question was whether or not it was her place to tell him…

“Tear?” Guy waved his hand in front of her face and she snapped out of her stupor, finding him standing in front of her. “Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh… yes, I’m sorry. Forgive me, I didn’t sleep very well last night…” she sighed softly. “We’re convening on the western outskirts of town. Please meet us there when you’re dressed and ready.”

“Alright…” Guy mumbled, watching as the elf turned around and left. He quirked his brow and brushed his fingers through his hair. That encounter left a bit of a bitter taste in his mouth… Why was everyone acting so weird lately?

 

Roughly a half hour later, Guy found his way over to the others, seeing that they were currently securing their belongings to the three dragons. He wandered over to Luke’s side and gently patted his neck, reaching into his pack and pulling out a piece of dried jerky. “Hey, want a quick snack before we go? I know how hungry you get from long flights.”

Luke brought his head around and sniffed at it. “...Eggruda meat?”

“Yeah, the shopkeep at the cafe said it’s a local specialty since so many of them populate the area outside of the city. I’m not that big of a fan personally, but I know you tend to like meat of all kinds. It’d be a shame for this perfectly good snack to go to waste.” Luke chortled a bit and opened up his mouth, allowing Guy to toss the jerky in. “Glad to see you’re feeling better and willing to eat. You had me worried last night. Did you get enough sleep?”

“Not as much as I would have liked, but enough to hold me over. We’ll be stopping in Chesedonia once Gnome has been accounted for, and I am greatly looking forward to that.”

Guy raised a brow. “Oh? What’s so great about Chesedonia?”

“The last time we went there, we didn’t actually get to _go_ there because we all got arrested. This time I am dead set on making it to that bar!” Luke said excitedly and Guy furrowed his brow in confusion.

“What’s so special about this bar?”

“The extra spicy mabo curry they sell! It’s so hot the bar has a challenge for it: if you can stomach the entire plate, you get it and all you can drink for free. The only caveat is that you can’t have anything to drink _while_ you’re eating it. Don’t tell Ginji or Jade this, I know this is hypocritical since I would get on their cases about gate duty, but every few centuries I like to pop in and eat about four plates just to screw with the mortals.” Luke laughed. “The looks on their faces were always priceless.”

“It’s really that spicy, huh?” Guy crossed his arms. “I can feel the indigestion already…”

“Oh please, the recipe’s been changed about eleven times because older ingredients have been outright banned. Three people have died from it over the years. It’s nothing like how it was first made. A thousand years ago they used to set the sauce on _fire_ both for presentation and emphasis! Nowadays it’s impossible to replicate the old recipe because you can’t even _get_ those banned ingredients.”

“...T-three people have _died_ from this curry…?” Guy swallowed hard. What the hell were the ingredients that had been banned? _Lava_?!

“Hey!” Anise called out before rushing over to the two of them. “We’re just about ready to go. Guy, are you absolutely sure that you’re okay with me riding with you and Luke?”

“Yep,” Guy said with a nod. “Don’t worry about it. If I was uncomfortable with the idea, I wouldn’t have suggested it in the first place.”

Luke lowered himself down to the ground and allowed Guy to climb up to get situated in the saddle. The bottom three clasps were left undone and he scooted back as far as he could, leaving just enough room for Anise to squeeze in front of him. Luke went on to shake himself a little, trying to adjust to the extra weight of another person, much to Anise’s dismay.

“Whoa-! Careful there, Luke…” She gripped the saddle tightly as the dragon shifted beneath her, “I don’t want to end up falling off.”

“Relax,” Luke snorted, “There’s a whole saddle for you to cling to. Not to mention Guy’s there too. It’s just a straight shot from here to Zao, and I’ve been flying for my entire life. You’ll be _fine_.”

“Why don’t I feel fine then?” she pouted.

“You weren’t at all uncomfortable riding with Jade, Ginji, or Asch, and none of them had a saddle.” Guy pointed out.

“Yeah, because those three could _see_! I mean I get that you and Luke have worked out your system, but I’m still nervous!”

“Don’t worry, as long as Efreet and Sylph keep close, I have part of my vision back. Are we ready to leave?” he called out to the others, getting a swift confirmation from Meryl that indeed, they were. Within moments they were all airborne, beginning their journey to Zao.

 

As they neared the desert, even at this altitude, it was easy to feel the heat beginning to bubble up from below. Thankfully the sun was beginning its descent marking the end of the day, so it would only be getting cooler from this point on. "I can't stand the desert. I hope we packed enough water for this..." Guy groaned a little, bringing a hand up to wipe the precipitation forming on his brow. In hindsight, wearing a full set of armor the desert was a bit foolish.

“Maybe we should have gone to free Undine first…” Anise muttered.

Unfortunately for them, the Zao ruins were on the eastern side of the desert, which meant that coming from the west, they’d have to fly through the middle of the desert for quite a while. The further in they flew, the more unrelenting the heat became, to which Luke could hear a whole slew of complaints coming from the humans. 

Efreet merely snorted. _‘It’s barely one hundred and twelve degrees. Not enough to break a sweat.’_ he huffed. Luke had to keep himself from laughing as they started their descent, having passed over the desert’s oasis. 

The three dragons touched down just outside of the entrance to the ancient ruins, the mortals within the group dismounting them to nearly melt into the sand.

“Why is it so hooooooot?!” Anise gasped as she fanned herself.

“It is uncomfortably warm…” Tear tugged on her collar in a vain attempt to get air to circulate.

“This isn’t as bad as it could be. We’ll be heading underground though, so it’ll most definitely be cooler.” Meryl stated, only to receive a rather dirty glare from Anise.

“Not everyone here grew up in the desert…” she muttered under her breath.

“I don’t know what you’re all complaining about,” Luke said as he swapped forms, “I think the heat’s nice.”

“Shut up, Luke…” Ginji sighed.

“I think my paws are burning!” Mieu squeaked painfully, scurrying over to take refuge in the shade of Ion’s shadow.

“Let’s just get out of this heat shall we?” Ion weakly laughed as he picked up Mieu, moving over to the ruin’s entrance. The others followed suit, filing in one by one after him.

It was a long walk downward, on an old, decrepit, spiral staircase that seemed practically endless. Sand would occasionally spill in from above, falling through the center of the spiral. The further down they went, the darker it became until Luke summoned a ball of flame to illuminate their path- much to the protest of some of the humans present.

“Man, it’s been forever since I was last here…” Luke thought aloud as he glanced around. Efreet was just barely within range, so he could make out the fuzzy shapes of some objects, namely the old architecture and ancient carvings there on it. “Such a shame it all went to hell like this.”

“You’ve visited the ruins before?” Ion asked and Luke shook his head.

“No, I’m talking about when the Zao Empire was still alive. I was around when it fell, hence why over half my hoard is Zao in origin. Guy can attest to that, considering I caught him rifling through my coins when we first met.” Luke smirked a little.

A slight shiver went up Guy’s spine as he recalled that encounter and he weakly chuckled. “Ahaha… I didn’t really _mean_ to do that- or, well, I wanted to examine them, but I wasn’t planning on taking anything.”

“Sure you weren’t.” Luke chuckled playfully.

They had finally reached the bottom of the spiral staircase, standing in a dark, cavernous room full of broken golems, toppled pillars, and ruined walls. Ginji took the lead and escorted them further in, across a vast expanse of very precarious bridges that led to the ancient mecca. Anise and Ion both ran over to the ledge and gasped, looking out at what had been one of the most powerful empires to ever exist on their world. It seemed to stretch out for miles.

“Whoa!” Anise gasped, her voice echoing off the buildings in the distance, “ _This_ is Zao?!”

“It’s amazing!” Ion agreed with an excited smile on his face.

“It is quite impressive,” Tear said with a nod as she stepped up to join them, taking in the sights for herself. “It’s difficult to imagine that this place was once alive… What was life like, back when this place still thrived?” she asked, looking over her shoulder to the three dragons.

“Well for starters, it wasn’t underground like this and the desert didn’t exist,” Luke started, “This whole region used to be a tropical paradise. But, the great flood came as a result of the tidal wave, and immediately afterwards a massive monsoon thoroughly drowned the region. It took three centuries to drain out. Zao was in ruins, and the desert was born.” 

“That doesn’t quite answer my question, though that was informative.” Tear mused.

“Life in Zao was very similar to current day Chesedonia. There was always music, art, and food. The streets were lively and packed to the brim with travelers looking to trade. Usually it was for slaves, the last Zao Empress was pretty notorious for it.” Ginji answered.

“Yeah, she was. Reminds me of another certain Empress I know.” Luke jabbed and Meryl went beet red.

“I-I’ll have you know that option was only as a last resort to feed ourselves! As soon as we finish this nonsense with that miasma goddess, I’ll be cracking down hard on the underground slave market! It’s abhorrent people are making money off of their fellow human beings!”

“...Is there something you want to tell me?” Peony asked and she sighed heavily.

“We’ll talk about it later, it’s unimportant right now-” Meryl stopped when she heard the sound of wings flapping. She and the others glanced up, seeing the dark outline of a dragon circling around overhead that swooped down closer and landed not too far away. It was smaller than Ginji but larger than Luke, and its hide was a beautiful bronze colour. 

“Hi, Noelle,” Ginji greeted, and the dragon wasted no time changing shape into that of a human woman; slender in frame with short blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

“Ginji!” she cried out excitedly and ran over, throwing her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug. “I’m so glad to see you! What are you doing here? Who is all of this?”

“Noelle, you’re looking lovely as ever,” Jade said with a pleasant smile and she frowned, looking almost sickened to see him.

“Ginji, since when do you keep this kind of company…?” she asked only for Jade to place his hand over his heart.

“As sharp tongued as ever; some things just don’t change. False pleasantries aside, we’ve been told that the god of earth, Gnome, resides here.”

Noelle stared at him blankly for a moment before looking to Luke, only to have her gaze focus on the two present deities behind him. Immediately she dropped down to her knees and bowed, uttering a small prayer under her breath to show them proper reverence.

_‘It feels so good to be properly worshipped and shown respect,’_ Sylph chuckled, resting her hands on her hips. _’Ah, I’ve missed this.’_

_‘That it does, but we mustn't allow it to go to our heads, we still have a job to do. Come, Gnome is waiting for us.’_

Noelle looked up at them with a curious gaze. “What do you mean by this?”

_‘Come, child. All will be explained shortly,’_ Efreet said, and she pulled herself back up to her feet.

Without further delay, they proceeded downwards to the very deepest trenches of the old city where barely any light touched, following behind Efreet and Sylph closely. The crystal housing Gnome jutted up from the rocky terrain, and when Luke approached, it started to glow softly, reacting to his very presence. The humans, and elf, looked on excitedly, ready to see just how this entire process worked- hoping that perhaps, even if it’s just for a split second, they could catch some glimpse of the god’s true essence.

“Rah’do Gol, nivosik!1” Luke commanded, removing his hand from the crystal to take several steps back. The ground began to shudder, violently, the cavern quaking all around them as large chunks of stone began to crumble from above. Buildings started to collapse, the tremors growing worse and worse as they raced towards the crystal. Giant stalagmites ripped up from the earth, the crystal cracking all throughout before shattering into dust, a ball of orange-brown light floating lazily where it once was. The tremors then ceased, and the cavern stopped its shaking.

_‘Pruzah feyl, Yolus~ 2’_ Gnome yawned sleepily.

Luke stood there and stared at the god of earth with a confused, and slightly bewildered expression. Gnome looked nothing like the previous two deities. In fact, Gnome looked more like a cheagle, if anything.

Anise was, of course, the first to break the stunned silence from the mortals."That's _it?_ Not even a flicker of the real form? All that build up for _nothing_?!" she groaned and just sat down right then and there. Guy had to admit he'd felt like that the first time he witnessed a release. That intense blaze of flame and then… what looked like a nightlight. Disappointing was an understatement.

"Anise, please. Don't upset Gnome," Ion said with a sigh. “Jade, would you be willing to show us what Gnome looks like, please?”

Jade obliged and summoned his spear, using the tip to etch into the dirt once more to draw out Gnome’s likeness. Everyone crowded around to see, and many were quite surprised with what they saw. Save for Mieu, who was quite elated.

“Gnome looks like me, mieu!” he squeaked happily.

“Wow, he does…” Anise said in slight awe. “How could something that small make an earthquake _that_ big?!”

“Gnome holds domain over the earth, and subsequently, all the nature and spirits that reside within it.” Jade explained.

“Not to interrupt whatever this is,” Noelle stepped forwards, “but would someone please explain to me what is going on and why it requires the pantheon?” Luke opened his mouth to speak, but Guy started to relay the events to her before he could even get a word out, detailing every event that happened after the lands had been lowered, to the best of his ability. Noelle stood there, looking pale and worried- she knew that the lands had been lowered, but she had no idea the rest of those events had transpired…!

“Now that we have Gnome, our next objective is to free Undine,” Guy explained, “And from there, it’s just a question of getting Rem, Shadow, and then Lorelei.” Luke winced; Noelle saw. It didn’t take long for her to connect the pieces together.

“Luke, are you-”

“Ni ko teyn do vorey.3” he cut her off.

“Zu’u los ful krosis…4”

“Hey, hey! Quit it with the secret dragon language!” Anise frowned. “We got what we came here for, can we please get a move on so we can make it to Chesedonia already? I need a bath to wash all this sweat and sand off!”

“I agree, I could use a bite to eat, too.” Peony nodded, feeling a slight pain in his abdomen. It had been hours since they last got the chance to eat, not to mention they suffered from flight fatigue and tired feet.

“Would it be alright if I accompany you?” Noelle suddenly asked. “I want to help in whatever way I can. I didn’t know Asch or Sync very well, but I still owe it to them to end their misery as fellow guardians.”

“Ginji said you’d likely want to help us, and at this point, we need all the help we can get. If you want to come along and lend us your aid, you are more than welcome to.” Guy smiled at her. Noelle nodded and bowed her head to the group, affirming her decision to join their ranks.

With that, they began their trek back out to the desert, aiming for the merchant’s city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> 1 Gnome, Asunder!  
> 2 Good morning, Luke~  
> 3 Not in front of the others.  
> 4 I am so sorry...


	44. Extra Spicy Mabo Curry

The hustle and bustle of Chesedonia was always an impressive sight to behold, even in the later hours of the evening when the day crowd made way for the night. Despite the massive changes that Auldrant had undergone the past few months, Chesedonia remained pleasantly unchanged, and many of the group drew comfort from the familiarity of the city. They would breathe in deeply the scent of the marketplace while the merchants beckoned their wares in the distance. Had Luke not already have an agenda, he would have definitely checked out the merchant making promises of fresh mutton. 

Meryl stood before the entrance to the city, placed her hands on her hips, and wore a proud, determined smirk on her face. “It feels so great to be _home_!” she laughed heartily. The rest of the group lagged behind her considerably. It had been an _exhausting_ journey to get from Zao’s ruins to Chesedonia, even with the aid of four dragons. The heat of the day still radiated from the sand even though the sun had long since set.

“Meryl… Please, slow down…!” Anise gasped as she struggled to keep up with the Empress’ unnatural vigor, sweat dripping down her face.

Meryl merely scoffed. “How can we slow down when we’ve come to the busiest city in the entire world? The People, the heat, the spice! It’s like fire that runs through your veins and fills you with energy!”

_’I quite like this one.’_ Efreet chuckled fondly. Sylph could only roll her eyes.

“Not everyone is accustomed to warmer climates like you are, Meryl.” Jade tucked his hands behind his back. This drew a suspicious look from the royal, and she eyed the older blue dragon up and down with a critical gaze.

“You look awfully comfortable for a supposed ice dragon.” She raised her brow. The colonel merely lifted up his uniform’s lapels to show the thin sheets of ice he had conjured onto his clothing. “Isn’t that cheating?”

“It’s _survival_. It’s nothing more than Luke using his pyromancy to keep warm in Sylvana.” Jade shrugged casually, lowering the flaps.

“Can we just get to the inn, _please_!?” Anise begged. “My blisters have blisters after all that walking and I _need_ to wash all this sweat and sand off!”

“Oh alright, alright. Spoil sports.” Meryl frowned.

“What?! No way, Guy and I are heading over to that tavern for the curry and drinks!” Luke protested, grabbing onto Guy’s sleeve to tug the knight closer towards him. Guy shook his head and pulled his arm free from Luke’s grasp, much to the redhead’s displeasure.

“Sorry, Luke. You’re just going to have to be patient, I’m with Anise on wanting a bath after being in those ruins and the desert all day. We’ll go get the curry after I’ve washed up.” Luke’s frown turned into an outright childish pout and Guy rolled his eyes. “Suck it up. You can wait an extra half hour you big baby. Meryl, please lead the way.”

The Empress led the group through the winding streets of the city over to the closest inn on the far side of the bazaar. The innkeeper, quite familiar with Meryl’s previous work as a mercenary, happily booked them four rooms to share at a discount up on the third floor. When everyone had themselves situated, they all took their sweet time bathing and cleaning themselves up. 

While Guy was in the washroom, Luke sat at the edge of their bed rather impatiently, trying to keep himself occupied by holding idle conversation with Gnome. Much to his delight, the god of earth was way more personable than the first two he had encountered, and what started as a simple conversation of small talk turned to Luke playing translator for his curious cheagle companion whom had been quite intrigued by the divine being.

Eventually Guy stepped out of the washroom wrapped in a linen towel. 

Luke immediately tore his attention away from the conversation to focus on his mate. “Finally!” He moved Mieu aside before he stood up. “You took so long in there I thought you were never coming out! C’mon, hurry up already and get dressed! There’s two plates of extra spicy curry just down the street with our names on them!”

“I couldn’t help it. Sweat makes a person sticky and then there was just so much damn sand _everywhere_.” He shuddered slightly. “You could have gone ahead without me if it’s that important to you. I would have caught up.” The blond offered as he made a grab for his semi-clean clothes. 

“No way. I want you to be there with me to _experience_ it! Also, the city’s really loud, even at night, and they might not let me participate in the challenge if I’m in my elven form... And without my elven form, I’m back to being totally blind unless I bring the gods with. I’m not sure about you, but I don’t really want them there while I’m trying to drink as much as I possibly can. No offense, Gnome,” Luke looked over his shoulder back to the deity.

_‘None taken,’_ Gnome replied easily.

“Come _on_ , Guy!” Luke whined as the human pulled on his pants. “I just want this _one_ thing!”

“I’m going, I’m going!” Guy grabbed his boots and pulled them on haphazardly. “You going to be okay here, Mieu? A bar isn’t really a place to bring a cheagle so you have to stay here.” Mieu looked a little disheartened to hear this, but he offered a chirp in reply with a nod. “Alright, good. You take care. If anyone asks, we’ll be back later.”

 

The tavern Luke had been so dead set on since Sheridan was a tiny, seedy looking joint squished amongst many other places that lined one of the back alley ways. Guy had to admit he was a little intimidated as Luke urged him inside and all of the patrons looked to be less than reputable. The smell coming from the kitchen however was heavenly, and if it was something that a seven thousand year old dragon bragged about and kept coming back to over the centuries, it had to be good.

Guy and Luke took their seats up at the bar away from the bulk of the patrons, drawing a few curious glances, but no one really seemed to pay them much mind. Not long after, the barkeep came by to ask what they wanted when a positively devious smirk came to Luke’s face. Without missing a beat, he slammed the appropriate amount of gald onto the countertop and looked up at the man, seeing the impossibly faint outline against the darkness. “Two plates of mabo curry. _Extra_ spicy.”

Chatter in the tavern utterly died and many people flocked over to their sides to witness this, drawing a decent sized crowd. “You sure you know what you’re signing up for?” the barkeep asked skeptically, sizing up Luke and Guy with a questioning look.

Luke tossed down a little more gald. “With extra sauce.” An impressed whistle sounded off from the crowd.

“Alright kid, it’s your funeral.” the man took the gald and turned to shout at the kitchen, “Two hellblazers with extra pain!”

Guy went a little pale. This… was all pretty worrisome. He leaned over towards his mate and whispered through clenched teeth, “Luke… just how spicy _is_ this curry?”

“I already told you three people died from it,” Luke replied back innocently enough. He couldn’t see Guy’s face but he was absolutely certain the blond looked unamused, or possibly angry, given his tone. “You only have to try a bite. If you can’t handle it, I’ll eat the rest for you.”

“Just promise me that this curry won’t eat through my stomach… I’m only human.”

“You’ll be _fine_ you whelping,” Luke teased the man back, but Guy still didn’t look at all convinced, especially with the amount of people this had drawn around them. “Relax, you know I wouldn’t do anything that would put you in actual danger on purpose. This is all for fun, and you know how badly we need to have some fun when we can.”

“I guess…” he sighed, resting his chin against his palm.

“Hey, we’re about to get as much as we can drink for free; lighten up.” Luke poked his shoulder and a couple of the spectators around them laughed. A few comments floated around about how over confident and cocky they were, and how he’d be eating those words in just a few moments. Everyone went silent however when the barkeep came back with two plates in hand- the extra spicy mabo curry served over a bed of fluffy white rice. He set both plates down in front of them and Luke breathed in the steam deeply, smelling all of the hot spices. Guy’s eyes started to water the moment the aroma hit him.

“Here y’go. If ya’ can stomach the whole plate without drinking anything, you get your gald back and drinks are on the house. Good luck, we haven’t had a winner in over fifty years.”

Luke felt around the bar top until he located his spoon and grabbed at it, repeating the process to find his food. It was a little awkward and messy, but with Guy’s help he was able to get a nice, large bite into his mouth. Everyone watched with baited breath, waiting for the yelps of pain, or flinching, or begging for a drink to wash the spice away. Instead, a happy moan of pleasure sounded off as Luke closed his eyes and smiled fondly at the flavor. “Mmm! This is so good!” he exclaimed happily, already trying to shovel his next bite into his mouth.

Guy stared down at his plate and swore that, for a split second, he saw the sauce eating through the plate. Swallowing thickly, he mustered up what courage he could, made a grab for his spoon and scooped up a decent amount (although he did try to lean more heavily on the rice rather than the sauce). There was only a brief pause after it made it into his mouth before he broke out in a sweat and bowed his head against his knuckles, trying with every fiber of his being to not just... break. His eyes teared up and shoulders trembled... The hand clutching the spoon was white from the sheer force he had on his grip around it. He dropped his utensil and shook his head before hitting the bar top repeatedly to tap out. He couldn’t do this, there was no way in hell _any_ human could possibly do this!

This was, apparently, the type of reaction the barkeep and patrons were waiting for. Laughter and calls of encouragement rang through the air, egging Guy on to have more than just one simple bite. Where was the fun in that? 

The blond repeatedly shook his head, pushing the plate of curry away from him over towards his mate before silently begging the barkeep for something to drink. A pitcher of ice water was brought around, and Guy drank it down so quickly it looked as if his life depended on it. He set the near empty pitcher down and wiped his reddened face off, still feeling the burning sensation on his lips and tongue. “Why in the _hell_ did you think that I could eat that?!” his voice sounded so hoarse.

Luke was already about halfway done with his own plate of curry. “I just wanted you to try it,” he said sweetly with a small smile. “It’ll be a fun memory one day. You, attempting to tame the extra spicy curry before getting sloshed on all you can drink.”

“You’re acting awfully confident there, kid, considering you haven’t even finished your own plate yet.” One of the nearby observers called out. Luke ignored them to continue working on his meal.

“A ‘fun memory’ huh?” Guy exhaled sharply. Luke had a point though; with everything happening, moments like these are going to be treasured moments in the future, valued for their light heartedness amidst absolute chaos. Surely one day he’ll be able to look back and laugh rather than recall the hell he had tasted. “You’re getting sentimental on me. Heh, maybe you’re finally starting to act your old age.”

Luke hesitated putting the next bite into his mouth. Pushing off swelling feelings of guilt and remorse, he put up a façade and laughed. “Please, I’m not _that_ old.” He shoved that spoonful of curry into his mouth and really made a point to savor the flavor.

“You’re a hell of a lot older than me,” Guy mused somewhat playfully. “Though, it’s not a patch on Jade’s age.”

Sounds of shock and awe sounded off and the crowd drew closer. Luke had finished his plate of curry and was now working on Guy’s without any issue. A few people made it a point to clap, and when Luke had fully finished Guy’s plate, a thunderous round of applause sounded off throughout the establishment. “Well, I’ll be damned kid. You must have a stomach of steel. No one’s been able to eat two whole plates in over two hundred years!” the barkeep laughed, pulling their gald out of his pockets to place back on the bar top. “True to the challenge, here’s your gald back, and drinks are on the house.”

Luke could only smirk triumphantly, trying to hold back a boastful laugh. “But of course! Bring on the mead! We’re going to drink to celebrate!”

“Let me guess,” Guy rested his cheek against his palm while the other bar patrons began to disperse and settle down, “That last person who ate two plates was you?”

“Yup.” Luke snickered. “And it tasted just as good now as it did back then.” The barkeep came back around with two mugs of mead for them when Luke slid him a few gald. “A plate of mild curry for my friend. I ate his dinner and all.”

Guy picked up his mug and took a sip. His nose wrinkled and he pulled back, giving the mead a funny look. “Uh, hey, Luke? Does your mead taste funny to you?” Luke took a drink of his and shook his head. “Weird… I’m barely able to tas-...Did that killer curry burn all of my taste buds?”

“It’s a possibility. I’ve never had that problem, but then again I’m not human.” 

“Great… Just great.” The knight reached up and carded a hand through his hair. “Here’s hoping the mild curry doesn’t taste like mush.”

An hour later, with six empty mugs surrounding the both of them on the bar, Guy sat there feeling pleasantly buzzed while Luke nursed his fourth mug of mead. The crowd in the tavern had thinned out a bit now that the excitement had worn off and the night grew late. Guy contemplated returning to the inn to get to bed as they likely had an early morning ahead of them, but he couldn’t get himself to leave just yet. It was fun hanging around with his lover, drinking as much as they wanted, talking, forgetting all of their troubles. It was a rare luxury he wanted to indulge in to the fullest, consequences be damned!

“So,” Guy started as he glanced over to the redhead, “I’ve been wanting to ask you about this story for a while. You mentioned one time that you got thrown out of a temple for debauchery. I want to hear that story _now_.”

Luke sniggered and set his mug down. “Oh man, that was a fun night. Okay so this was like… six thousand six hundred years ago? Asch and I were wandering around Old Daath and we snuck into a temple that was doing a sermon for Lorelei. There was a _lot_ of communion wine going present at the service. And since we were both _technically_ pieces of Lorelei we… may have broken into the cellar and drank as much wine as we could.”

“Did you really?” Guy snorted.

“We got _so_ sloshed we ended up desecrating the temple. We woke up to one of the priests kicking us and yelling at us. There was trash _everywhere_ , and if I remember correctly, one of us fondled the statuary of Undine.”

“F-Fondled the statues?” Guy was wheezing.

“Hey! Undine is a very pretty goddess. I know Rem is supposed to be the all beautiful one but Undine holds her own.” Luke huffed, picking his mug back up to take a good, long drink.

 

Twelve empty mugs lay before Luke and Guy not even another hour later, eight of which belonged to Luke alone, who was currently working his ninth. The both of them were now, thoroughly, drunk- the worries and fear of the uncertain future before them was a distant cry, lost in the foggy haze of their thoroughly inebriated minds. Guy had been trying telling stories for a little while, and Luke made it a game to take a drink every time the blond slurred his words. It was getting a little hard to keep up at this pace.

"Guy- Guy... Guy, you gotta stop talkin’. I'm not sure how much more I can drink..." Luke laughed as he set the mug down, the barkeep now coming over to assess the both of them.

"Alright, the two of you have had more than enough. I'm cutting you off." he said a bit sternly. “I know the challenge said all you can drink, but this is excessive.”

“Yer’ cuttin’ us off?” Luke asked incredulously and the man nodded. “Guy, did he jus’ nod?”

“Yeah.” Guy looked over towards Luke a little too quickly and lost his balance, falling off of the stool onto the wooden floor with a thud. “W-why’s the room spinning so much…?”

“D’you even know who I am?” Luke asked as he leaned in to get up into the barkeep’s face. “I’ve been bustin’ my ass to sa-save this gods forsaken planet, an’ I beat that curry challenge! If I wanna drink, I’m gonna drink!” At this point, the whole tavern was watching this quickly escalate out of control.

“Okay, you two, hit the road-”

“You didn’ot jus’ tell a dragon what to do.” Luke abruptly stood up and tried to glare the man down. “I don’ think you understan’ yer place on the foodchain.”

“If you don’t leave right now, I’m calling the guards.” the barkeep threatened. Luke didn’t exactly take too kindly to this threat, and in a burst of flame, had reassumed his draconic form right there within the tavern. His size took up most of the space within, and he caused quite a bit of destruction from broken tables and windows to shattered bottles and dinnerware. Patrons and employees ran screaming while Luke let out a drunken roar to assert himself as the dominant being.

 

"Oh honestly, where the hell did Luke and Guy run off to now? I swear..." Meryl sighed heavily, resting her hands on her hips as her face fell into a frown. “There’s fifty places alone that all sell curry and alcohol in this city!”

“You’re the one who knows this city best.” Peony offered with a half smile. “They’re probably just enjoying each others’ company in this rare down time. Why not let them be and allow them to come back when they’re ready?”

“If you want to deal with Jade’s subsequent wrath come morning, then by all means.” she shook her head and Peony chuckled.

“I think I can manage him. But it’s been a rough time for everyone, especially for Luke. So just let him do whatever makes him happy-” A loud crash, followed by a roar, echoed in the distance. Not too long after, a crowd of panicked people ran past the royal couple, yelling or screaming incoherently. A moment later, a large amount of city guards sprinted past towards the source of commotion. Meryl and Peony looked at one another and dashed off, following after. That roar was, without a doubt, their missing dragon.

Upon arriving at the scene, they saw the guards encircling the now partially destroyed tavern, raising their weapons to the red dragon within. Meryl shot her husband a very stern, unamused glare. “...Just let him do _whatever_ makes him happy, _huh_?”

“Oh come on, like I knew that this was going to happen…” Peony nervously laughed.

"Lower your weapons!" She commanded, and the guards, reluctantly did so. Meryl stormed over to the doorway, seeing Luke within. "Luke! Change back **right now**!" She snapped at him. 

The dragon looked at her over his shoulder and then snorted. “Yer' not tha boss of me, M'mrryl.” he slurred.

“ _Excuse me_?” she sounded outright offended that he wouldn’t listen to her. “Oh _no you did not_ -” She proceeded to go into the building.

Peony, along with the assembled guards and now a handful of Chesedonians gathered, watched in awe as the Empress took on a fire dragon with nothing more than her bare hands and a fearless attitude. Shouts were heard, and there was a good deal of flame, but in the end, she was victorious as she stepped out of the tavern dragging both Guy and Luke- in his elven form- by their ears.

“Aaah! Let go let go let go!” Luke tried to slap her hand away but she only tightened her grip until she had dragged the both of them out into the middle of the road. There, she roughly let them go and kept a her cold gaze on the redhead. “The hell, Mmrel!? You can’t do that to elf ears!” 

“You _transformed_ in the middle of a _bar_ , Luke! Did you have any idea what you were doing!? What the hell were you even thinking pulling a stunt like that?!”

“The damn barkeep was tryin’ to cut us off!” Luke argued back as he rubbed his sore ears.

“And for good reason!” Meryl nearly shouted back at him, gesturing wildly over to the destroyed building that was now smoldering. She rolled her eyes when she got a good look at Luke and Guy’s inebriated states. “Who’s idea was it to get the _dragon_ drunk?!” She rested her hands on her hips, expression falling into a deep frown. 

Luke reached up and pointed to Guy. “‘is, Merl.”

“Guy!” She gasped as Peony started to cackle, hard. “Peony! This isn’t funny!”

“This is hilarious!” Peony had to wipe tears from his eyes.

The guards that stood nearby looked on at the scene confusedly, gazing to one another for some form of guidance but found none. One guard stepped forwards slowly. “Uh… your Majesty?” he asked as Peony looked over his shoulder to see him.

“We have this under control, don’t worry.” The Emperor waved his hand dismissively.

“Under control!?” The barkeep stepped forwards, pointing at Luke, “That _creature_ destroyed my tavern!”

“H-hey! You tried to cut us off!” Luke shot back. “An’ I won those drinks fair n’ square!” 

“No you didn’t! You cheated! You’re not even human!” the barkeep shouted.

“Nowhere did the curry chal-challenge say ya had ta be a human to partici-..ticipate!”

Meryl groaned, loudly. “We are so very sorry for this,” She bowed her head to the barkeep. “We will cover the cost of repairs and the drinks.” The barkeep sighed, crossing his arms. Well, that would do for now… still, he looked down at Luke and sneered with disgust. 

Anise, Jade, and practically the rest of their little group came running over as quick as they could, skidding to a stop upon finding the royals with the guards. “What’s going on?! We heard the roar and-… Whoa! What happened here?!” Anise gasped as she looked at the carnage.

Jade immediately looked to Luke and sighed, heavily. “Alright, your Majesty, help me with these two, will you?” He said as he bent down to haul Luke up to his feet. Peony grabbed at Guy and helped to pick him up. “Come on, you two are going back to the inn and are sleeping this off… I told you we have an early morning tomorrow.”


	45. Confessions

Peony had helped Guy rather gently down onto his bed back at the inn, whereas Jade rather unceremoniously dumped Luke without so much a care and left without a word. Meryl made sure adjust his position to something that was actually a bit more comfortable, but there was still a frown on her face after the events of earlier.

“I can’t believe what you did… That has to be the stupidest thing you have ever done, Luke. And you, Guy,” she directed her attention to the blond, “Don’t you start thinking that you’re off the hook yourself. Tomorrow when the both of you sober up, you’re in for one hell of a lecture!”

“Yes’um…” Guy slurred a bit as he brought a hand up to salute her. 

The Empress sighed with slight resignation and pulled the covers up over them. “Just, rest up, alright?” With that, she exited the room and closed the door, leaving the two of them be for the night. 

Gnome, Efreet, and Sylph were gathered together on the opposite side of the room talking amongst themselves about what had happened.

 _‘Oh man, he did what?!’_ Sylph held her sides as she tried to hold in a cackle. _‘Now I wish I had bothered going, that sounds hilarious!’_

Efreet shook his head, _‘It’s shameful is what it is. Arrogance and foolishness. Surely we raised Lorelei to behave better than this.’_

That struck a nerve, and Luke twitched as he listened to their conversation. He _wasn’t_ Lorelei, why couldn’t they _see_ that? Still, there was some truth to Efreet’s words, he had acted in a stupid, stupid fashion that completely ruined what was supposed to be a fun night for him and his mate. Even though alcohol still clouded his mind and made things fuzzy, he could still feel that cold, wet feeling of guilt and shame cling to him tightly. He tried to roll over to face the wall but only managed to roll right out of the bed and crash onto the floor.

Sylph couldn’t hold in her laughter and started to howl at Luke’s incoordination while the redhead attempted to extrapolate himself from the sheets he had dragged with him. All of this led to increased frustration until finally he outright growled at her. Sylph ceased her laughter and eyed him with a slight sneer. _‘Well, you’re certainly feeling bold.’_ she remarked but Luke took to ignoring her as he attempted to stand up and climb back into bed.

“You a’ight, Luke?” Guy asked as he propped himself up onto his elbow. “Those glow balls’ve been ringin’ a lot and you don’ look too happy.”

“‘M really sorry…” Luke said as he laid back down and pulled the sheets up over the both of them. “Tonight was suppose’ to be fun an’ I ruined it…”

“Naw,” Guy shook his head as he reached out and cupped Luke’s cheeks, a grin spreading across his own face, “It was lots’o fun. Seein’ all those people run out of the tavern was funny. An’ tha’ curry was good, but I can only taste a little…”

“You’re not mad?”

“Never.” Guy shook his head slowly.

Luke weakly smiled and silently wished that the gods would come closer so he could actually look at his face again. Not that he would ask them, given their current disposition towards him. Luke was a proud creature that would not bow his head so easily when tension and animosity was present. His thoughts were torn away when Guy had leaned in for a kiss, wet and messy, but greatly appreciated nonetheless. “I love you so much.”

“You mind bein’ human for now?” Guy asked and Luke furrowed his brow. “I mean yer still handsome like this but it was fun gettin’ to see you in human form, an’ I jus’ realized how much I missed seeing it.”

Ah, that’s what he meant. He complied and swapped his forms, much to Guy’s delight. Guy moved closer to press the two of their bodies together and lavished the redhead with loving, drunken kisses. Luke squirmed a little and broke free, bumping his nose against Guy’s. “You taste like mead,” he teased, bringing his hands up to snake their way into the blond’s short tresses. “You smell like… like the inn’s soap an’ curry spice an’ desert dust. Familiar an’ for..foreign. Comforting an’ exciting. It’s kinda ama..z..zis-ing.”

Guy broke back out into a grin, grateful he at least didn’t smell like sweat anymore, even if the scent of the desert was impossible to wash off. The knight worked his hands up Luke’s shirt to pull him in even closer, admiring the smoothness of his skin despite the number of scars his fingertips felt. “Mm… You’re so great. Perfect, incredi-dible, amazin’, uh… neat…? I’m kina’ runnin’ out of things ta’ say.” He pushed his knee forward to wedge between Luke’s legs.

“I love it when you praise me,” Luke purred as he adjusted his hips to accommodate the change of position. “Makesh- makes me feel important.” Loved. Actually appreciated. “Yuvon’Osley…” he muttered and Guy perked up just a little.

“Youse said that before. Back ‘n Yulia city, after we fought. You were bleeding an’ I remember you saying that before passin’ out. What’s it mean?”

“It’s yer dragon name. Yer name in Dovah’mir means Golden Flower.” he sniggered a little, “‘Cause gaillardias are golden flowers.”

Guy frowned a little. “Very funny, very funny.”

“Nah, nah, itsa’ good name! An’ you’d make for one fantastic dragon!”

“Would not. I wouldn’ know tha firs’ thing about bein’ a dragon.”

“Would so!” Luke pulled away a little and sat up. “Yer hide’d be bronze like Noelle’s, an’ I think you’d be aroun’ Ginj-ji’s size. Yer horns’ be a lil’ shorter but still kinda curved like everyone elseses...es. ‘M not really sure what yer school of magic would be though…You’d probably try to hoard somethin’ stupid like Ginji does. But you’d be _very_ attractive...”

 _‘I think I’m going to be sick.’_ Sylph gagged, looking positively disgusted at the two of them.

Luke glanced back over at them and an idea struck him. “Hey, could you do that? The dragon thing?”

 _‘Why the hell would we ever want to do that?’_ Sylph didn’t sound amused.

 _‘He asked if we could, not if we wo-’_ Gnome started but Efreet quickly interrupted.

_‘The answer is still no. It would require a unanimous agreement amongst all of us, and a tremendous amount of Lorelei’s power. You must remember, we are not the most fond of humans.’_

“Jerks.” Luke stuck his tongue out at them.

“The glow balls are ringin’ again. They not being nice to you?” Guy asked with mild curiosity but Luke shook his head and rolled his eyes.

“Just bein’ obtuse as ever.” Luke settled back down onto the bed, closing his eyes. Guy’s fingers brushed over his cheeks and played with his hair.

“Yer hair’s gotten longer again. It’s past yer shoulders already. I think you could braid it now.”

“You’ll have to braid it for me.” Luke hummed and silently relished in their closeness. This… This might be the last time he and Guy could be close like this. Tomorrow they would be off to find and free Undine, then the day after would be spent getting out to Akzeriuth for Shadow, and the day after for Rem and then… It was hard to hide the sorrow and guilt bubbling up within him. Guy easily picked up on Luke’s discomfort and dropped his hands back down to the redhead’s face.

“Hey, ‘swrong?” he asked but Luke tried to shake it off. Guy wouldn’t let him. “I mean it, Luke.”

“...What’d you do if I died?”

Guy stared at the redhead for a few silent moments before he laughed, shaking his head. “That’s a stupid question. I’d be sad ya idiot.”

Luke frowned. “Don’t call me an idiot.”

“Hey, I calls ‘em like I sees ‘em. You made a stupid choice at tha’ bar, an’ yer makin’ stupid choices now askin’ me dumb things. Yer bein’ an idiot, but yer _my_ idiot.”

“‘M bein’ serious here…” Luke pouted and Guy scoffed.

“I told ya, I’d be sad. ‘M not really sure what else ya want me ta’ say. You’d go back ta’ bein’ Lorelei an’ I’d still be here bein’ sad yer not around anymore. Why’re ya’ askin’ ‘bout death anyways?”

“Dunno… a thought occurred to me, I guess.” Luke shrugged a little.

“Yer not allowed ta’ be sad while we’re drunk, that’s _why_ we got drunk! You can be sad ‘morrow mornin’ when we’re hungover an’ wishin’ we were dead.” Luke snickered a little bit, and Guy’s face lit up. “See, that’s what I wanna see. I wanna see you happy. Consequenceses be damned if we end up setting tha’ sheets on fire.”

Luke raised his brow. “Oh?”

Guy rolled over so he was on top of Luke. “Oh.” And he leaned back in to kiss his redhead more and more.

_Luna Redecan, Undineday 30 N.D. 2018_

“Wake up _right now_!” Jade snapped, sounding completely off put. Luke groaned, audibly, his head throbbing horribly as the hangover hit him hard. He slowly cracked his eyes open, the light in the room far too blinding- enough so to make his acute headache even worse. He whined, reaching up to grasp at his head as he slowly curl up into a ball. His stomach was doing somersaults... "Luke, get up, _now_."

"...I'm going to be sick," Luke moaned, before bringing a hand up to his mouth. He flung himself over the edge of the bed and promptly threw up all over the floor. 

The noise and commotion was enough to jar Guy awake, and boy, waking up to someone vomiting was not something he wanted to hear. He grimaced as he pried his eyes open only to clamp them tightly shut again. The room was so fucking bright... This time he opened his eyes slowly to adjust but instead was met with the throbbing displeasure of a bad headache. 

"Nn... Luke, you oka-" But then his eyes landed on Jade who looked less than thrilled at the moment. At first Guy believed it was simply the fact that they had been drunk as hell and looked like absolute messes, but only after he shifted did he realize it was something far simpler. "You could have knocked!" he practically shrieked, grabbing at the nearest pillow to cover himself with considering the blanket was too tightly wrapped around one of Luke's legs to tug it free.

"I did." Jade said with a look of disdain. "Quite a while and quite loudly, might I add. If you two are done, get ready and eat. We're leaving."

"We need to wash up and-"

"You would have had the luxury had you not slept through half the morning."

"-Jade," Luke said harshly after he had pulled himself back upright. "One, fuck off. Two, we have plenty of time to get to Tataroo valley; we're washing up."

"Do the two of you think about no one but yourselves?" Jade asked, sounding baffled. “We're on a time table. The miasma has essentially killed off the entire valley, it's engulfed the northern forests, and I've heard reports that the ocean is starting to turn purple in certain places. We _do not have_ the luxury of time. So get up, pull yourselves together, and let's _go_ ," he snapped, before turning on his heel and walking out of the room. 

Luke sat there in a bit of a stunned silence. "The ocean is turning purple...?" For the ocean to do that, there must be... **high** concentrations of miasma seeping out from the core; the merfolk are now in danger- if too much comes out, the water will turn into mud and they'll suffocate…! He suddenly felt nauseous again, but this time for a different reason. "...Wash up in the sink, we don't have time for full baths. We need to get moving."

Guy rubbed at his temples in a vain attempt to lessen his pounding headache. Travel was not going to be any fun today… The knight moved to stand up when a flash of dark red and brown caught the corner of his eye. He turned to look at the sheets and pillows, finding that there were dried bloodstains _all over_. He then quickly dashed over to the washroom to look at himself in the mirror, and he was _covered_ in hickies, bite marks, and scratches. Pivoting around to get a look at his back, Guy groaned when he found rows upon rows of claw marks. “ **Luke!** ”

“Stop shouting, you’re making my headache wor- Oh gross! Who the hell threw up all over the floor!?” Luke whined.

“That was you, genius.” Guy let out an aggravated sigh. His morning was not off to a good start, and it seemed like every little thing now was out to further sour his mood. “I need you to work some healing magic. You _really_ chewed me up last night.”

“Alright, alright…” Luke wiped his foot off against the bedsheets and stumbled his way over to the washroom. It took a few minutes of fumbling around blindly and trying to figure out just what to heal by touch and sound alone, but enough had been taken care of that Guy seemed to be satisfied. “Man… How crazy was last night to have that kind of result?”

“I don’t know. Judging by the marks I’d say that I was the one on top but I’m feeling a bit sore, so…” he shrugged.

“We took turns; I’m sore too.” Luke admitted a bit sheepishly. “It must had been _great_ though… It’d be nice to remember it clearly.” The memories were hazy, barely any of it clear enough to accurately remember the moment.

“You had nine mugs of mead, of course you wouldn’t remember.” Guy turned on the faucet and started to wash himself up a bit using the bath sponge. “I don’t remember much myself, but I do remember our talk before things got carried away.”

“Really? I sure don’t.” Luke cupped his hands under the stream of water and brought it up to his dry lips to drink.

“It wasn’t anything serious, although at one point you started talking about death and what I’d do if you died.” Luke aspirated the water and ended up coughing heavily to clear his airways, nearly causing him to throw up again. “Rem- Luke, be careful! I don’t need you trying to check out on me now.”

“Sorry, sorry…” he rasped, trying to get his breathing steady again. “I’m okay, just swallowed wrong. Did I really bring that topic up?”

“Yeah. We were being close and then all of a sudden you looked really sad and brought that up. It was bizarre, even for you. I mean, granted you’ve been acting weird ever since we started releasing all of the gods but-” Guy froze as all of the pieces finally clicked into place. No, no that _can’t_ be what it is. He slowly glanced back over to Luke and found that the redhead had averted his gaze and kept his head bowed. “...Is releasing all of the gods doing something to you? Luke, talk to me.” He didn’t reply, and suddenly Guy’s hangover was no longer the worst thing about his morning. Without thinking, he grabbed Luke’s shoulders and he forced the redhead to face him. “Tell me that isn’t the case right now!”

“I can’t.”

“Why the hell not?!”

“It’s not like I want this-”

“Bullshit!” Guy snapped angrily, his hands starting to shake from squeezing Luke’s shoulders, his nails digging into his flesh. “Don’t you dare stand there and _lie_ to me after _everything_ that we’ve been through! You should be fighting with every last drop of blood in you to stay alive!”

“And while I do that, the rest of the world suffers!” Luke snapped right back, slapping Guy’s hands off of him. “I _do_ want to stay alive! But it’s not like I have any gods damned choice in the matter! If I don’t finish what we’ve started, the miasma _will_ win and there’ll be _nothing_ that anyone can do. So don’t you _dare_ stand there and judge me for doing my duty as a guardian to this world!”

“No,” Guy laughed so painfully unhinged, “No, I refuse to accept this. I refuse to accept that you’d walk willingly to your death and forsake everything that we have worked for-”

“I’m doing this _for_ -”

“Shut up!” Guy shouted and Luke took a step backwards, startled and stunned. “I lost my home and my family and gods be damned, I am not ready to lose you, too!” his voice broke at the end, and it took all of his willpower to keep a sob choked back. That didn’t stop angry tears from escaping, and for once, he was grateful that Luke couldn’t see him. “You… You’re all I have left and I can’t lose you!”

“I’m sorry…” Luke had unconsciously started to fiddle with the ring on his finger as remorse came to his face.

Disgusted, Guy shook his head and allowed anger to take over. “Get out. Just get the hell out.” 

Luke left without saying anything. Instead, he merely grabbed at a robe from the wardrobe, pulled it on, and then exited the room. Trying to dress in all of his clothes and armor by himself would just take too long. He ended up pressing his back to the door and slid down until he was seated on the floor, staring dejectedly out towards nothingness. Guy was so much smarter than Luke gave him credit for, being able to piece things together that fast. This wasn’t how he wanted Guy to find out…

“Well, I take it by all the shouting, the two of you aren’t going to be ready any time soon.”

Luke immediately frowned and pulled his knees up towards his chest. “What did you expect, Jade? We’re not… exactly at our best right now.”

“Clearly,” Jade said with a sigh, eyeing Luke over. “I take it Guy figured out the truth?” Luke nodded slowly. “Well, he would have found out eventually.”

“How long have you known?”

“For a little while now. It wasn’t particularly hard to figure out, especially with Noelle confirming it. I warned you that getting entangled with humans causes pain.” Jade moved so his back was to the doorframe, standing next to Luke.

The redhead weakly laughed. “It does. It really does… Even so, I don’t regret my decision, not for a second.” The time he’s spent with Guy, all of the things they’ve gone through together, he wouldn’t change it for anything. “I think… I think these past few months, I’ve lived far more than I ever have in the past 7,000 years.”

“You’ve grown up. At the start, you were so childish it was almost intolerable. Always yelling and throwing tantrums when things didn’t go your way. You’ve really stepped forwards and matured into a leader, one that I’d be willing to follow into battle. I’m quite proud of you.”

Luke stared upwards at Jade with a mix of shock and awe. “You’re… proud of me…?”

“Is that really so surprising?” Jade quirked a brow.

“Considering you originally sent Guy out to kill me with that damn blade, yeah, it is.”

“You’ve demonstrated to me you’re a trustworthy ally. I’ve changed my viewpoint of you accordingly.” Jade merely shrugged and Luke sighed.

“That’s so like you… I’m still angry that you did that, and I won’t be able to forgive you for it. But, still… I’d never thought I’d ever consider a blue a friend.”

It was Jade’s turn to be stunned. “...Friend?”

“Is that really so surprising?” Luke mocked Jade’s own words and the older dragon let out a dry laugh.

“Heh, I suppose not. Still, you and Guy are very quick to throw that word around without considering its weight. I’m not quite sure I really deserve that label after everything I’ve done… Tell me,” he glanced back down to Luke, “do you regret not telling Guy the truth about your impending fate?”

Luke hugged his knees and pulled at the fabric on his robe. “I… It hurts. This wasn’t how I wanted him to find out, it hurts having him know the truth. But at the same time, it’s a huge weight off of my chest, and I feel better knowing that at least now he has some time to come to terms with it before it happens.”

“I suppose so… I guess honesty really is the best policy.”

“Is there something you want to confess?” Luke asked and Jade crossed his arms, putting on that easy smile of his.

“Who knows? I’ve done a lot of things in my life that I regret.” A comfortable silence fell between them for a few moments. “Come downstairs whenever you’re ready. We still have work to do.” And with that, Jade turned to leave. 

Luke sat there for a little while longer, replaying that conversation in his mind over and over. Even though he felt sick and upset and hurt, he couldn’t stop from smiling every time he remembered Jade saying those five words he had never heard from anyone before.


	46. Undine

Coming downstairs that morning was not any fun. Almost everyone had gathered and was seated around the inn’s lobby looking rather crabby and impatient, talking amongst themselves quietly to pass the time by while they waited. Luke had slowly made his way into the view of everyone else, and Anise was the first one to voice her irritation. 

“It’s practically noon and you’re not even dressed!?” she spoke in such a shrill pitch, much to the aggravation of Luke’s throbbing headache.

He was not having a good morning by any means.

“Good morning to you too, Anise,” he muttered tiredly, trying to pay her little attention.

“Don’t you ‘good morning’ me! Do you have _any_ idea just how _loud_ you and Guy were last night?! You kept up the entire inn half the night!” she nearly yelled. 

Well, that’s certainly embarrassing...

Luke coughed. “We _were_ drun-” he started, only for Anise to storm over, grab him by the collar, and yank him down to her level.

“Mess with my beauty sleep again and you will pay. Are we clear?”

“C-crystal…” Anise released him and returned to her spot over by Ion’s side. Luke stared at her blurred, fuzzy outline in the distance and ended up scratching the back of his head, just wondering how could such a little girl like her be so terrifying sometimes? He had really learned to underestimate humans.

“Why aren’t you dressed, Luke?” Tear asked innocently enough, and it dragged the redhead back to his current predicament, and subsequently, his bitter, bitter reality. 

Oh, gods, he wasn’t ready to face this with the rest of the group now, too.

His face fell- he was too tired and hungover to even bother attempting to hide his compromised emotional state. He wrapped his arms around himself and took in a deep breath, shaking his head slowly. Where to even begin with this? “Guy… Uh, well, we sort of… got into a fight and he kicked me out of the room.” This raised some brows amongst the group. “It’s not like I need my clothes or armor for flying, anyways...”

Sensing Luke’s discomfort, Mieu wriggled his way out of Ion’s grasp and scampered off to Luke’s side. “Why were you and mister Guy fighting, mieu?” he squeaked with worry, tugging lightly on the hem of Luke’s robe. 

Luke slowly bent down to pick him up, gently patting the top of his head as he often did in times of emotional distress. Thinking back to how he balked at the idea of bringing a damn cheagle along, of all things, he internally laughed about how now Mieu was one of his greatest sources of comfort. He looked down at the barely visible pale blue outline of the small creature and sighed heavily. Guy knew, Noelle, Jade, and surely Ginji knew too… Maybe it was time to just come clean about it; just be done with it already. “It’s… complicated.” he started, taking a seat down on the bottom of the stairs, placing Mieu gently into his lap. “It’s really complicated.”

“You’re dying.” Ginji spoke grimly and the room hushed up. “Efreet told me last night, while you were out drinking with your mate.”

“No way…!” Anise abruptly stood up, her chair falling backwards and hitting the wooden floor with a hard thud.

“That’s a lie! That has to be a lie, right? Right, Luke?” Meryl came closer with a look of utter disbelief on her face. “Jade had said you were fine- that you were just weakened from calling on Lorelei too much. That you were blinded because of it. You can’t be dying. That’s just absurd! Dragons aren’t supposed to die!” Peony reached outwards to pull her back towards him.

“I’m not dying,” Luke corrected as he continued to pet Mieu’s head, “but, releasing Lorelei will kill me.”

“And Gailardia figured that out, right?” Peony asked and Luke nodded silently.

“Luke, why didn’t you tell us this sooner?” Ion looked to the dragon with woe. 

“What difference does it make, having all of you know? Either way, I’ll be dead, and there’s nothing that can be done about it-”

“There has to be!” Meryl broke free from her husband’s grasp and marched herself right over in front of him. “There is always more than one solution to a problem! You’re not using your head and thinking outside of the bo-” 

Luke looked up at her with a dark, angry glare and she took an unsettled step backwards. 

“I am _not_ having this argument all over again!” he snapped at her with a slight growl. Rem dammit, this was really exacerbating his headache. “And if you’re not going to help me finish this then I will continue on my own.”

“You can’t be serious. You’d so readily abandon us just because we think you should have the right to live?!” Meryl asked with an unsettled laugh. No wonder Luke and Guy had gotten into a fight. The nonsense he was spouting now was unconscionable.

“This is not about _me_ or whether it’s _fair_ that I live or die- this is about preserving our planet and making sure that all of you have a future!” Luke barked back angrily, feeling the throbbing sensation in his temples worsen. He cringed and brought his hands up to his head, taking in low, slow deep breaths to try and calm down.

“Is there really no other option here?” Ion spoke up, his hands clenching tightly the holy symbol draped around his neck. “Is this truly the only way?”

Before Luke could even answer, Tear replied for him, “Yes. I overheard Luke speaking with the gods back in Sheridan. This is not something he would choose if there was another way.”

Luke stared at her with wide eyes. “You knew…?”

Tear nodded. Meryl still didn’t look convinced, but now worry overrode her expression. She didn’t want to believe it. Luke had always been so strong, so… incredible and impressive. The thought of a creature like him having to now face the impending fate of mortality was stunning and enough of a shock it felt like someone dumped a bucket of cold water all over her. 

“...I have to do whatever it takes. For Asch and Sync, for all of you, for everyone... If I don’t have your help, so be it. This is my duty, and my burden. I won’t force it upon others when it is not theirs to bear.” Luke downcast his gaze, gripping the cool metal of the ring Mieu wore tightly.

It was quiet after that. Everyone seemed pensive, looking to one another for something else to say, something to do to break the tension in the air. Anise looked like she wanted to cry and Meryl fared no better. Ginji looked almost guilty, feeling a touch of remorse for even broaching this topic to begin with. Luke set Mieu off to the side and stood up, preparing to leave when Tear stepped forwards. She reached outwards and grabbed hold of his wrist. 

“Tear?”

“You’ve mine.” She bowed her head to him. “Whatever is to come ahead, I will be there with you until the very end. Ishnu a’ethella.1” 

Luke stared at her, astonished.

“Ours.” Noelle and Ginji spoke together, bending knee to the red.

“Mine.” Ion sounded off as he too bowed. 

Anise looked a little hesitant, not eager or willing to watch Luke die when she had seen so much death and destruction already. Daath, Baticul, Yulia city, the world was already coated with enough blood as is and yet here it was, demanding the sacrifice of one more. Life was just too cruel... She slowly stepped forward and clasped hold of Ion’s arm, giving her silent nod of affirmation.

“You know I’m not missing a chance to witness history,” Peony chuckled in a warm hearted manner. “And I sure as hell know Jade’s not going to miss it, either.”

“You really shouldn’t speak for others, your majesty,” Jade sighed.

“We all started this crazy adventure together.” Meryl spoke with a shaky voice and a forced smile. “There’s no way in hell we’d allow you to go off on your own now. Knowing you, and your track record, you wouldn’t get very far without needing our help.”

Luke weakly laughed. “You’re probably right. Thank you, everyone...”

The three gods had been gathered together in the corner of the lobby, keeping to themselves and watching the conflict with mild interest. Efreet exhaled a bit of smoke and felt a slight tinge of pride as he watched the others pledge themselves to Luke. _‘It doesn’t matter which form Lorelei is in, he was always a natural leader…’_ he mused quietly.

_‘You know Yolus will just get mad if he hears you call him that again.’_ Gnome chided in his ever-mellow manner. _‘He’s already going through a tough time, especially with **her** running around freely. I can’t imagine Lorelei is sitting by without at least a little panic. Yolus has to be feeling it._

_‘I still don’t understand how she managed to get out. I mean, we were the ones who sealed her! There’s no possible way in hell that she broke out on her own while we were still acting as the stopgap.’_ Sylph paced about nervously. _‘And what she’s planning on doing, I can’t stand to even think of it!’_

_‘The pace is only hastening now. Without us there strengthening the seal, more and more miasma will flood out of the core.’_ Efreet said grimly.

_‘I’m scared. What if we’re not strong enough to take her down this time? We barely managed the last time, and if she was strong enough to break out…’_ Gnome trailed off.

_‘Maybe she’s our punishment for thinking that we could just forget about our past sins…’_ Sylph laughed dryly. _‘It’s our fault things are the way they are now. She’s our responsibility to deal with, whether we will be successful or not.’_

_‘Who knows? Maybe these mortals can help us pull off a miracle,’_ Efreet hummed.

 

Guy stared bitterly at his reflection in the mirror, lost in a sea of thoughts and a deep rage that made him see red. He couldn’t _believe_ that Luke would just lay down and sacrifice himself like this! He couldn’t believe that Luke wouldn’t even have the nerve to tell him! How dare he just abandon him like this?! It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t any fucking fair! Everything he ever loved and cared about always had to be ripped right out from under him!

A knock on the door jarred him out of his negative spiral and he gripped the countertop tightly. “Go _away_ , Luke!”

The door opened anyways. “Sadly, it’s just me.” Jade sounded off as he stepped in, looking around the room in search for Luke’s things, making a careful note to avoid the half dried vomit next to the bed. “Time is running short, we’re about to leave.”

“I’m not going.” Guy released his grip and stepped out of the washroom. “I can’t just go along and pretend everything’s fine while he throws his life away. I just can’t.”

“You’re serious?” Jade stared at the blond incredulously and Guy nodded, his hands clenching up into tight fists. “You know he’ll be devastated that you won’t be there to see this through?”

“Like he gives a damn about how I feel,” the knight snapped. 

“I see... Well, here.” The blue reached down into his pocket and pulled out the inscribed crystal that Lorelei had created, handing it over to Guy. “In case you change your mind. You know where to go.” 

Guy looked down at the crystal but quickly averted his gaze off to the side, no longer in any mood to keep talking. Jade merely grabbed Luke’s belongings and left, leaving the blond to continue his brooding.

When Jade returned downstairs, he handed off the armful of clothes and armor to the redhead before turning to address the group. “Master Gailardia will not be coming with us.”

“What?!” Luke hated how shocked he sounded. It shouldn’t have come as a shock that he wouldn’t want to continue on, especially after the fight that they just had when no compromise or resolve could be made. But… still, to think that he actually would step out… Especially at a time like this… Luke clutched his clothes tightly to quell the trembling he could feel in his hands.

“Jade, are you sure?” Peony asked and the older blue nodded, clasping his hands behind his back.

“It appears that he has no interest in ‘pretending everything’s fine while Luke throws his life away’.” Jade repeated and Luke winced a little bit. “He’s made his choice, and right now we’re running behind on daylight. We need to get moving. Luke, get dressed and we’ll go.”

“We can’t just leave things like this.” Meryl protested. “You can’t possibly suggest that we just leave Guy behind-”

“That is exactly what I’m suggesting. He’s made his decision, and I’m not about to drag a fully grown adult kicking and screaming to do something against his will.” Jade replied coldly.

“Luke!” Meryl turned her attention to the redhead. “For Sylph’s sake, the two of you are mates! You’re married! That means you work on problems together, not run away from one another when things get tough!”

Luke looked downwards at the ring on his finger and twisted it around a few times absentmindedly. “No.” He shook his head. “We need to go. If he doesn’t want to come, that’s his choice.”

“But-!” Meryl started, but Peony reached out and squeezed her shoulder tightly.

“Gailardia has always been stubborn, and it’s not our place to tell either of them what to do right now,” he said softly. Meryl exhaled sharply and downcast her gaze, her hands balled up into fists. This didn’t feel right. Despite the camaraderie that Luke had managed to bring out in everyone, without Guy, it wasn’t complete and it would never be. Still, that didn’t stop the rest of the group from heeding Luke’s words as they, one by one, made their way out of the inn’s lobby to reach the ever crowded streets Chesedonia.

With the group vacant from the lobby, Luke turned his attention to the front desk. Empty- thank the gods that there hadn’t been any outside witnesses to that emotional and, quite frankly, personal display. He wandered his way over to the counter and felt around until he located the bell, ringing it a couple of times to summon the innkeeper.

“Can I help you, sir?” An older man came trotting in from the kitchen.

“Is it possible for me to leave a message to one of the occupants?” Luke asked.

“Oh, of course! Here.” He turned around and grabbed some simple stationary. Cheap white paper, a stick of charcoal, and an envelope were presented to the dragon. “Just make sure to write their name on the envelope and what room number.”

“Much appreciated.” He carefully scribbled out his message, stuffed it into the envelope, and then addressed it properly before handing it, along with a few hundred gald, to the innkeeper. “His name is Guy; tall, blond hair, blue eyes. Please, make sure he gets this.”

“Of course, but you know you can leave the message free of charge? I don’t need the gald.” He tried to hand the coins back but Luke shook his head.

“That’s actually for the mess. ...Someone threw up all over the floor this morning. It wasn’t me.”

“Oh, fantastic. I’ll have to send Mara up to get that taken care of before the floor gets stained...” the innkeeper let out a groan as he rolled his eyes. “Anyways, I’ll be keepin’ an eye out for your fellow and make sure he gets the message. Don’t you worry about that.”

“Thank you.”

 

The flight towards Tataroo Valley had been long and especially uncomfortable, with most of the journey spent in utter silence beyond the rushing winds that usually accompanied their high speeds. After the rather emotional morning, no one was feeling particularly chatty, save for the gods who hung back and talked amongst themselves. Tear had ended up riding with Luke, giving the needed verbal cues to help him with flight. Anise, Ion, and Mieu rode with Ginji while Peony and Meryl rode with Jade. Noelle was tasked with all of their equipment. Things had been relatively fine, up until the valley itself finally came into view.

_‘No!’_ Sylph gasped as she came to an abrupt halt. The sudden commotion had Luke scrambling to maintain a hover without bucking Tear off.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, glancing around to try and get a sense of what was happening. 

“Is everything alright, Luke?” Tear questioned as she gripped the saddle tightly, trying to keep herself steady.

_‘I don’t believe it…’_ Efreet sounded shocked.

_‘Everything… Everything’s gone…!’_ Gnome whispered in horror.

“What _happened_?” Luke asked more firmly, completely lost in the dark of his blindness.

_‘Tataroo Valley… It’s completely destroyed!_ Sylph brought her hands up to her mouth. What once been a beautiful, serene valley covered in lush greenery and natural springs now was nothing more than an absolute barren, desolate wasteland lost beneath a sea of sickly purple.

_‘Sylph, can you dissipate this?’_ Efreet asked. The wind goddess flew down towards the thick haze, examining just how dense and heavy the smog was. She frowned all too deeply before extending her arm outwards. A fierce gale ripped throughout the area, blowing away the bulk of the poisonous gasses, however the tinge of purple still remained in the air. 

Gnome and Efreet stuck close by to Luke to help him see his landing. The others touched down shortly after.

“Ugh! What _is_ this? My eyes and throat are stinging really badly!” Anise whined as her eyes started to water.

“That’s the miasma.” Tear said, looking a bit grim. “You should be alright as long as you don’t inhale a large amount over a long time. It will still be an irritant though, especially to small children.”

“I am not a small child!” Anise protested as she dismounted from Ginji’s back.

Slyph’s ball of mana started to ring a bit frantically, to which Meryl turned to Luke for a translation. “She said we better get moving, the miasma will come back and be thicker than it was before.” He waited for Tear to dismount before reassuming his elven form. “We’ll find the crystal in the old gateway, just like the others.”

“Where’s the old gateway?” Peony asked.

Luke turned around and pointed beyond a stream of polluted, toxic mud. “Over there. Let’s hurry.”

Sylph’s warning became apparent far too quickly. They had barely just gotten across the mud when already the miasmic mist was heavy in the air. Anise and Ion both started to cough, the two of them using their clothes in an attempt to dampen the noxious air. Mieu had long since hid himself away in one of their items bags. After a certain point it became so unbearable Luke instructed everyone to huddle together closely. Sylph circled around them quickly, creating an air current that blew the mists away around them continuously.

“Fresh air!” Anise gasped, taking in deep, slow breaths. “Fresh air, fresh air! Praise be to Sylph…!”

Ion coughed until the irritation in his throat subsided, leaving him wheezing and looking a bit pale. “Yes… Thank you, Sylph.”

“If the miasma is already this much of a problem outside, then how bad is it in the old gateway?” Meryl questioned with worry as she looked around. It was now harder to see more than five feet away from outside of their protective bubble. Being surrounded entirely by a mist this dense and pervasive did little to ease her nerves.

“If it was bad enough to poison Sync months ago…” Noelle trailed off as Luke nodded.

“It’ll be bad... Really bad, to the point where getting exposed will poison mortals outright. It might be for the best if you guys stay here. I can get in and out real quick if I’m by myself.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Ion questioned weakly. He stumbled forwards after a bout of dizziness came over him. 

Anise caught Ion before he could fall and slumped his arm over her shoulder. “Be careful, Ion!” 

“Yes, I’m sure.” Luke said having just watched that.

“But you’ll be exposed…” Ion tried to argue, but Anise slowly lowered them both down until they were seated on the ground.

“Ion, you need to take it easy!” Anise implored.

“I’ll be alright, I promise.” Luke said with a nod. “Worse comes to pass, I can eradicate the miasma.” It required Lorelei’s power, and as such would take a negative toll on his overall health, but it was better than having any of his other comrades at risk for miasma poisoning.

“Luke…” Meryl breathed softly, still not happy at the idea of him going at it alone. “You better be quick about it.”

“I will. Gnome, Efreet!” He called out. He and the two deities hurried out of the safety of the Sylph’s protection, moving as fast as they could to reach the old gateway. 

Luke held his breath for as long as possible, taking short, shallow breaths whenever it was absolutely necessary. The air tasted bitter and unpleasant, and it definitely burned at his nose and throat the further they moved. With Gnome and Efreet’s help, he managed to navigate to where the large crystal was located without delay. He pressed his hands up against the cold surface and recited the spell that unleashed Undine from imprisonment. 

The crystal fractured apart, water leaking out of the deep cracks before it shattered completely and a powerful current flooded through the room. The water washed over Luke and gushed out of the old gateway, leaving the dragon completely drenched and the ground absolutely covered in thick sludge. At least for now the air was clear, and Luke took the opportunity to catch his breath.

Undine appeared where the crystal had been, and Luke was at a loss for words to describe her beauty. She looked a well-endowed young woman with pale blue skin and dark blue hair. She had patches of scales and fins, very similar to the merfolk that inhabited her oceans. 

The goddess yawned and stretched herself out, opening her eyes to see Luke, Efreet, and Gnome. _‘Zu’u los het. 2’_ She spoke in such a soothing voice. 

“Asnir’Lom, mu dreh ni lost tiid wah gelaar, mu kent asnir fah Vokun.3” Luke said. Undine then looked rather worried. If they were going after shadow, that meant…. 

_‘Inaak nau. 4’_ Undine instructed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> 1 Gods watch over you.  
> 2 I am here.  
> 3 Undine, we have little time, we are seeking Shadow.  
> 4 Lead on.


	47. Amends

The longer that he stood there staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, the angrier and angrier he felt. It wasn’t just a mix of anger however, there was a whirlwind of emotions beneath that overwhelmed and threatened to completely smother him. Grief, heartache, confusion, and disbelief were there, in the background, gnawing away at his thoughts. He felt entirely too sick, not in the traditional hangover kind of way, but in the way it feels like someone threw a bucket of cold water over him, and then socked him in the stomach, before expecting him to get up and carry on like nothing happened. How could the others just go along with something like this? How could they just so blindly accept it and not question if it was really the _only_ option that there was?

And how _dare_ Luke not even have the nerve to tell him! That was what made him the angriest, the fact that his partner- after _everything_ that they have been through together- outright lied to him by omission!

Rem, if he had just been given a little more time to process this…

He exhaled sharply and let go of the countertop, having realized he had been gripping it so hard his knuckles had turned white. He gazed around the washroom blankly and tried to refocus his thoughts elsewhere. With everyone gone now, he was suddenly left with no idea of what to do next. The war was over, so it made no sense to trek back to Deo Pass and take up his former position in the military. Maybe he could head back to Grand Chokmah, spend some time with General Cecille and get reacquainted with his mother’s side of the family. Undoubtedly she would be there with his former commander as the two of them had been tasked with overseeing the new empire for the time being. 

Yeah, that was a good idea. If he headed off to the former Malkuth consulate here in the city, he could easily charter a ferry to the capital and be there in three days time. The sooner he left, the better. He’d need the distraction to take his mind off of everything. 

Eventually he’d learn to move on.

A knock on the door surprised him, and quickly he pulled his wrinkled tunic over his head before answering. An unfamiliar looking girl- sort of on the plain side with pale brown hair carrying with her a rag and a bucket- stood there in the hallway.

“Hey there.” she greeted easily enough. “Gramps told me that there was a mess that needed to be cleaned up?”

Guy stared at her for a moment confusedly. “Mess…?” Oh. Right, Luke threw up all over the floor earlier. The smell was starting to get overwhelming. “Yeah. Sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it.” she said as she brushed past him and set the bucket down next to the mess. “Stuff like this is kind of common given the amount of taverns and bars here in the city. This isn’t the worst thing I’ve had to clean up.”

“Is that so…?” Guy could only guess at what could be worse than cleaning up someone else’s vomit. 

“Oh!” She eyed him up and down a few times. “You’re him! You match the description perfectly. Gramps said that you have a message waiting for you down at the front desk. Apparently it’s really important that you get it.”

“Really?” He involuntarily twitched. Undoubtedly it was from one of his former party members, likely chastising him for opting not to follow through with this. Like hell he needed to be scolded by them after everything that’s happened. “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll inquire about it when I return the room key.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. Colonel Curtiss already took care of that for you.” Immediately his eyes snapped over to the nightstand and found the bronze key to be missing. Figures he’d pull something like this.

Guy allowed the girl to clean up while he gathered up his belongings, finished dressing properly, and then exited the room to head down to the lobby. True to her word, the older man was behind the front desk waiting and the moment he laid eyes on the blond, he was grabbing the envelope that had been left behind for him.

“Excuse me, sir, but you have a message waiting for you.” The innkeeper slid the envelope out across the front counter. Guy looked down at the white envelope and saw the smudged, messy writing of his name and winced.

Of course it was from Luke- he might have been able to see mana frequencies but that didn’t mean he could see what or where he was writing. Honestly, right now he’d have preferred one of the other members leaving behind a scathing note reprimanding him instead of this. He picked up the envelope and was a bit surprised to feel a little weight to it. This was heavier than just some message.

Curious, he opened up the envelope and pulled out the folded note, opening it up to see a just as smudged, near illegible message written for him.

_‘Guy_

_Our time together was short, but I don’t regret it. It was the best time of my life._

_I love you. I’m sorry.’_

That hurt. Oh, Rem, did that fucking hurt. That anger he had managed to suppress for a short while came flooding back to the surface but sorrow followed along closely behind it. It took a hell of a lot of willpower to swallow the lump that formed in his throat, and his eyes stung with the threat of tears. His hands started to shake and he crumpled up the note, gritting his teeth. Hold it together… Hold it together, Guy.

A glint of gold within the envelope caught his eye. Ah, that must have been the weight he felt. He tilted the envelope, and out rolled Luke’s ring into the palm of his hand. He stared at it with wide eyes, looking at the cut mana crystal and the engraved swords around it.

That wasn’t fair.

That wasn’t any fair!

Tears welled up and spilled over his cheeks. Anger gave way to sorrow. The innkeeper looked worried and tried to ask him what was wrong but Guy paid him no mind, focusing on the band that was supposed to represent their commitment to one another.

...Commitment that he broke. Dragons mated for life, and even though he himself wasn’t a dragon, the rules of human courtship worked nearly the same way. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health… Gods, damn it, he was such a scumbag for leaving. Here he was, focusing only on himself- and yes, part of his anger was absolutely justified because Luke had kept this from him- but he didn’t even stop to consider how Luke felt.

_“Yeah… it doesn’t matter how we die,” his grip tightened on the window sill, “our souls are a tiny fragment of Lorelei’s being. When we die, we return to him and become whole…”_

_“You sound scared of that…”_

_“I am,” he weakly laughed. “I don’t want to lose my entire sense of self and disappear into the massive consciousness of Lorelei. But it’ll happen eventually… maybe not for hundreds of thousands of years but it will happen whether I want it to or not… Hell, Lorelei could take my soul away from me at any moment, and that’s… so terrifying to think about.”_

He has made a horrible decision, and an even bigger mistake.

Stashing the note and ring away safely back into the envelope, he rubbed the tears off of his face and took off running. Out of the inn and onto the hot and crowded streets of Chesedonia, he sprinted his way- weaving and shoving when he had to- towards the edge of the city. If he hurried, maybe he could catch them.

Of course, life was far from forgiving, and he stood there at the edge of the city breathing heavily, seeing the small shapes of the various dragons flying off high in the distance. He’d never be able to catch up with them now, not to their current destination anyways. He quickly pulled out the crystal Jade had given him earlier from his pocket and studied it intently. There were only three locations to choose from, and there was an order to it from what he recalled, so after Undine that meant that they’d be going after Shadow next, and Shadow was located at Akzeriuth.

If he weren’t pressed for time, he would have taken a moment to laugh at the irony. It looked like he was going to be heading back to the mountain pass again after all. Immediately he turned heel and ran in the opposite direction back into the city, making a beeline for the former Kimlascan consulate. Kimlasca had been the country to have a port for Kaitzur.

Guy slowed his pace as he approached the docks as to not crash into the soldiers and dock workers, but that didn’t stop him from targeting the nearest soldier and hurrying over to him. “The next ship to Kaitzur port, when is it?!” He got a little too close, breathing hard from all of the running.

“Wha-? Ah, the next ship isn’t set to leave until next week-” the soldier moved to answer, but that was not what Guy wanted to hear. He reached out and grabbed hold of the man’s shoulders tightly and narrowed his gaze.

“Then arrange a ship that’s going to be going there _now_.”

“I don’t have the authority to do that.” The guard swatted Guy’s hands off of him. “And I don’t- wait… I know you.” The guard was looking at Guy to try and place his face. “That’s right! You were among the prisoners that General Cecille and General Goldberg escorted back to Baticul. Oh my gods, your little stunt with that sudden-death-of-limb-syndrome nonsense scared Marvin so badly!” he was snickering. “Stupid idiot, thinking something like that was real.”

Guy ended up staring at the guard confusedly, not quite sure just what to make of that exactly- but that wasn’t important. He shook his head and reaffirmed his stance. “Who _does_ have the authority to change the ship roster? I’m a knighted Count from Malkuth’s courts and I have urgent business in Akzeriuth.”

“Look, even if you are, it’s not something-”

“It’s to reconvene with both the Emperor and the Empress, among others, and if I don’t leave now, I will not be able to make it. This is literally a life or death situation.” That certainly got the guard’s attention.

“Well… General Goldberg is the one in charge here with General Cecille gone. You can find him at the consulate-” Guy turned and left without another word.

 

_Luna Redecan, Sylphday 31 N.D. 2018_

Guy paced around the deck of the training ship anxiously, unable to hold still or quiet his worrying thoughts. Undoubtedly by now the group had made it to Tataroo Valley and released Undine. They likely camped out for the night somewhere on the road, or hell, maybe they even went back to Chesedonia. But the moment they set off for Akzeriuth, it was a race between this ship and dragon wings, and dragon wings were going to win. Days of travel could be completed in a handful of hours for them, and while it had been immensely helpful while they were all together, Guy was now bitterly cursing at this fact.

It takes two weeks by foot to get to the old campsite from Kaitzur. Kaitzur’s port was thankfully three days closer to the mountain pass, but Akzeriuth had been a day and a half trek from the mountain pass. By horse, it would take him eight days… That still wasn’t fast enough. Damnit, he didn’t think this through very well. He pulled the crystal back out from his pocket and looked at it, trying to discern the remaining options. The next location after Akzeriuth was a small landmass he was unfamiliar with to the south. It was likely a part of Eldrant and not Auldrant. And after that, it was…

He breath caught in his throat when he realized just _where_ the final location, where _Lorelei_ , had been all of this time.

Why…? Why did it have to be on Hod…?

This really had to be some sort of sick joke… Life was just being unnecessarily cruel to him now.

 

_Luna Redecan, Loreleiday 32 N.D. 2018_

The training ship docked early in the morning hours much to Guy’s relief. As soon as the walkway was lowered onto the docks, he ran down it and headed straight for the horses tied to the hitching posts near the edge of the port. He untied the closest one and mounted it quickly, giving a sharp kick to its sides. “Go!” He snapped the reins. The horse reared back and brayed loudly before taking off into a full gallop, racing away from the naval port before Count Almandine even had the chance to ask what he was doing there.

He rode hard and he rode fast, pivoting up onto the balls of his feet to stand in the stirrups. He leaned forwards and kicked the horse’s sides again, praying that they could go faster and keep this pace. With _any_ luck, knowing the routes they would have been taking, he would likely be able to intercept them on the way to the city, although it had a very small window of opportunity. They often chose to fly ridiculously high, and there was nothing he had on him other than his own voice to try and catch their attention.

The gallop only lasted so long, though, as the horse started to grow tired after running for such an extended period of time. It dropped from a gallop to a canter, something Guy had barely noticed until that canter turned into a fast trot. Panic quickly overtook him and he snapped the reins, giving another good kick to the horse’s sides to no avail. “No, no, no, no, no! Come on, you stupid horse!” He tried again, and again, and again, but the horse only continued to slow down. Guy let go of the reins and groaned loudly, bringing his hands up to his head.

He probably deserved this for being such an ass…

Guy dropped his hands and looked down at the horse, hearing the somewhat labored breathing. Right, beast of burden or not, it was still a living animal that he had pushed near its limits and then demanded more of. His face fell and he reached out, gently patting its neck. “I’m sorry. You’re not stupid; I am. You didn’t deserve that,” he muttered, taking hold of the reins again as he sat back in the saddle. At this point, he could only hope that the others had gotten a late start or had been delayed.

 

After a while out on the road, he led the horse off of the main path and began to cut across the terrain at a diagonal angle. There was of course the risk of getting attacked by the roaming pack of monsters here or there, but this would cut down significantly on his travel time. Thankfully his horse was keeping a fairly decent pace, even if it was slower than he would have liked. Slower horse was better than no horse at all. 

He looked around at the various shadows and then up towards the sky; it’s been around three hours since he’s set off, give or take. It took six hours for Jade to fly them from the mountain pass to Chesedonia, so there was still some time before they-

A roar sounded off in the distance, Jade’s. Guy did laugh in irony this time- the old dragon knew he’d be coming after them and was calling out to signal their arrival. The roar had startled his horse and it whinnied nervously, stopping to stamp its hooves into the ground repeatedly. Guy had to take a moment to steady it before looking upwards and searching.

Where were they…?

Ah-! There! And they were coming in _fast_! Guy gave the horse a kick and the animal, already spooked, happily obliged in taking off as fast as it possibly could to get away from the oncoming threat.

It didn’t take long for the first dragon to soar by overhead- Ginji, followed by Noelle pretty closely. Oh, thank the gods, they were flying lower than usual! Speaking of, he could make out the faint glow of the divine beings trailing along behind the first two but just ahead of Luke. Jade was not too far behind him.

“OI!” Guy shouted at the top of his lungs, bringing one hand up to his mouth in a pitiful attempt to magnify his volume. “LUKE! _LUKE_!” That didn’t seem to do anything. They were now directly overhead, and distance between them was quickly growing. It was now or never. “REVAK’YOLUS!” he screamed, and Luke’s head whipped around before he came to an abrupt halt and took to hovering. The red dragon looked incredibly confused, and from what Guy could see from this distance, Tear was riding with him and it was her that pointed him out to the dragon.

The red to swooped down and landed close by, which completely scared his horse. The animal outright bucked him off and galloped away, leaving Guy lying on his back on the hard ground with a low groan. Okay, he deserved that too.

“Guy?! Are you alright?” Tear jumped down off of the saddle, but when she moved to head over to his side, Luke stuck his leg out and prevented her from doing so. “Luke…?” The red dragon didn’t say anything, and instead stood there, watching silently as Guy picked himself up.

“That really hurt…” Guy muttered to himself as he rubbed his lower back. He looked up to the red, and it dawned on him that he hadn’t figured out just what to say. An apology was always a sound start, but that might not be the best choice. Luke was glaring him down, and looking at Luke, Guy could feel his own anger bubble back up too. It was hard _not_ to feel angry still, despite how much he had been beating himself up the past two days for his stupid decision.

Might as well start with the anger and get it out of the way.

Guy reached into his pocket and pulled out the crumpled envelope- the charcoal letters have been long since smudged away, now completely illegible. He opened it up and pulled the ring out, letting the light of the sun glint off it for a moment, giving Luke the chance to see it. “You swore that you were never going to take this off!” He started off angrily, which earned him a very displeased growl from the red. Like hell he was going to let Luke stand there and try to intimidate him like this. He took several steps forwards to bring himself closer to the dragon, standing his ground. “This was a vow of commitment!”

Another low growl. “You were the one that left!” Luke snapped right back at him. “You broke that commitment!”

“I did. I did, and it was the biggest mistake I have ever made. But gods, damnit, Luke! How could you _not_ tell me what was going to happen for that long?!”

“This isn’t about me, this is-”

“Like hell it’s not!” Guy cut him off. “This is about me _and_ you. This is a partnership, and we’re supposed to be able to trust each other!” Luke let out a snarl but Guy didn’t budge. “Answer me, Luke! Why the hell didn’t you tell me?!”

“Because I was scared!” Ah, just like he had thought. “Because I am _tired_ of being the one to cause you pain-”

“I already told you, I knew what I was signing up for entering a relationship with a dragon. You’re a lot more jagged and sharp compared to most people, and that can hurt sometimes, but the pain is inconsequential.” Guy softened his expression a bit. “You love for what you can have, not for how long or how little it lasts.”

Luke looked confused and frustrated, and after several long moments, he abruptly swapped forms, much to Guy’s surprise. He had expected Luke to ask, or demand, for his ring back. Instead, the redhead marched over to him and punched him hard in the jaw. 

“-OW!” Guy staggered backwards and brought his hands up to his sore face. “What happened to you _not_ wanting to cause me pain!?”

“You stupid bastard!” Luke trembled angrily. “Don’t you _ever_ leave me again!” Guy could see the fear in Luke’s eyes. His leaving really had devastated him… 

“I won’t.”

“Do you swear?”

Guy extended his left pinky out towards the redhead with a lopsided smile. “I pinky swear.”

Luke stared at the offered appendage for a moment before he weakly laughed and pushed it aside, stepping in to throw his arms around the blond for a sorely needed embrace.


	48. Regrets

Apologies given and accepted, Guy returned Luke’s ring and placed it back on his finger properly. The redhead smiled sweetly at him, and the two embraced in a nice, long hug. Tear had watched from a respectable distance and couldn’t help but to smile herself, grateful that this ugliness was now over and done with. All she could do now was hope that their remaining time together would be spent happily… or however happily it could be regarding their circumstances.

The princess stepped forwards and cleared her throat to remind the two of them that they were still on a schedule. Luke sheepishly let go of Guy and muttered an apology for getting carried away before swapping shape. Guy mounted first and extended a hand out to Tear, helping her climb on to the saddle in front of him. Tear was a fair bit bigger than Anise, so this time the space was much more cramped as she was practically sitting in Guy’s lap. 

This was probably the closest he’s ever been with a woman consensually, and boy, it was a little hard to keep himself from getting flustered. Tear was _very_ beautiful, and even though he didn’t particularly hold any feelings of that type towards her, his body didn’t exactly get the message. It didn’t help that he also had to hold onto her waist. Man, was he grateful to be wearing armor… This was going to be an awkward flight.

“This is a little cramped,” Guy weakly laughed, trying to make light of the situation. “Sorry if this is uncomfortable, your highness.”

Tear raised her brow. “You’re not one to call me ‘your highness’. What’s the occasion?”

“Well, I’m just trying to be respectful since you’re kind of on me, I mean, it’s just so cramped and all and I kind of have to touch you so… I’m just going to stop talking...” His cheeks flushed a bright pink and Tear giggled. It was cute seeing him so worked up. Luke however, didn’t take too kindly to the playfulness, and made it a point to growl a little to voice his displeasure. Guy was _his_.

With that done, Luke stood up and immediately felt the pressure of having two adult passengers on the saddle. “Ah, this is heavy…” Luke complained as he shook himself from side to side, trying to adjust the weight on his back to no real avail. The elves did one hell of a job making a saddle that was going to stay put.

“It’s not too much for you, is it?” Tear asked with concern.

“I’m pretty sure I can manage, Akzeriuth isn’t very far from here. It should only be another two hours at the most since wind conditions have been favorable.”

“Well, alright. Just don’t push yourself too hard.” Tear said, and with that, he raised up his wings and took back to the air.

It didn’t take too long to catch back up with the others, Luke was a fairly fast flier regardless of the load he had to carry. He easily fell back into line where he had been before, and the various human companions of the group all sounded off about Guy’s return.

“About time you showed up!” Anise chided from her perch atop Ginji. “The hell were you thinking that you could just leave like that?”

“It’s wonderful you’ve come back.” Ion spoke up from behind her. “We missed you.”

“Well, Luke missed him the most.” Peony chuckled overtop Jade. “I knew you’d come around to your senses eventually. You’re still young so you’re allowed to make dumb decisions like that from time to time. Just make sure you learn from them.”

“Believe me, I near instantly regretted it and spent the past two days beating myself up for it. I still… have some reservations about the situation, but I’m not going to spend what remaining time we have together being angry.”

“Well it’s a good thing you did come around. If you had really left for good, I was going to personally track you down and beat some sense into you when all of this was over and done with,” Meryl huffed.

“Trust me, she would have,” Peony laughed.

“Luke already took care of that.” Guy said as he brought a hand up to rub his reddened and slightly swollen jaw. A flash of blue caught his eyes and he glanced over towards the deities, seeing a fourth glowing orb of the most magnificent blue hue. “I take it that’s Undine?” he asked and Tear nodded.

“Yes, we were able to release her without much issue. However, Tataroo Valley has completely regressed into a wasteland. The pollution was just too much.” Guy tightened his grip on her without thinking.

This really was the only option, wasn’t it?

Undine watched the new human curiously, slightly intrigued by him. There was something about him that was familiar, although what that was, she could hardly begin to guess let alone place. It was actually starting to frustrate her, and the others took notice.

_‘What’s wrong?’_ Efreet asked his watery counterpart and the goddess sighed, shaking her head.

_‘I don’t know… I’m greatly bothered by this entire situation. Are you absolutely sure **she** broke out on her own?’_

_‘We have no idea. Govegein has always been malicious and underhanded. I wouldn’t be surprised if she used some sort of cheap tactic to break out.’_ Sylph said as she crossed her arms and frowned.

“Govegein?” Ginji asked. “That means outcast- doesn’t this miasma goddess have an actual name?” Well, that certainly caught the attention of the mortals. Considering they knew literally nothing about her, any information they could squeeze from the gods was crucial.

Sylph bristled a little. _‘We don’t deign her that respect. Obviously there’s reasons why we sealed her off in the first place. She’s dangerous.’_

“Why _was_ she sealed off?” Luke asked, and both Undine and Gnome looked surprised.

_‘I would have sworn Lorelei would have left you with that information. Considering all that had transpired in the past…’_ Undine looked to her counterparts, unsure of what to do. Was it right to tell them?

Efreet was the one to come forward. _‘Geved’fil.’_

“Black Star?” Jade questioned and Luke’s eyes widened.

“...Cherna.” He spoke in realization. “Her name is Cherna. Why do I know that name…?” There was nothing, literally nothing beyond the encounter he had been forced to watch in Yulia City, that he knew or could remember about the goddess other than that name. It was like that information was purposefully walled off in his head. It was clearly there because he knew that name, but he had no way to access it. Not that he knew of, anyways.

“Pretty name for such an ugly creature,” Anise mused bitterly.

_‘She and Lorelei came into being simultaneously, and you- a small fragment of Lorelei- are connected to her the same way Lorelei is.’_ Efreet explained and Luke felt a little sick. So that part about Cherna caling Lorelei her brother was actually true? That was unsettling.

“Came into being simultaneously?” Luke questioned. “I don’t understand.”

_‘It’s a… long story.’_ Sylph laughed a bit nervously, not exactly eager to have their past mistakes dragged out into the open.

_‘We used to fight each other.’_ Gnome spoke up and all of the dragons looked surprised. _‘A long, long time ago, we fought for control over this world, and we engaged in battle after battle to gain as much as we could. We nearly destroyed each other and the world.’_

_‘During one particularly fierce battle involving all of us,’_ Efreet spoke up, _‘Our combined power created the mana that forms Lorelei. Our anger and hatred latched onto that mana and corrupted part of it. And from that mana, both her and Lorelei were born.’_

_‘Lorelei’s birth made us see the good we could do if we combined our power. She… was a good deterrent to stop fighting. She has always been volatile, it’s her nature. But, nearly 300,000 years ago, she tried to drown the entire world in miasma. We put a stop to it by sealing her away in the core, where she would be cut off from corruption and slowly lose power by starving. But now she’s free, and she’s trying to resume what she had started so long ago.’_ Undine wrapped her arms around herself.

“That’s so…” Noelle started, unsure just how to respond to that. “...Why did she try to do that?”

_‘That, we do not know. We have never gotten along with her.’_ Sylph sighed pretty heavily.

Luke really wish he hadn’t been flying at the moment. All of this was a little much to take in, and it didn’t help that the things the gods were saying stirred up something inside of him. He didn’t have those memories personally, but… they were still there. Fuzzy, blurred, out of focus but still very much there when they shouldn’t be. It was giving him a bad headache and he wanted nothing more than to swap forms and grab at his throbbing skull. One memory in particular kept creeping up to the front of his forethoughts, and while it was near impossible to make out what was happening, there was one figure he could discern amongst it all. “...Yulia?” 

Tear glanced down at Luke with furrowed brows. What did her ancestor have to do with all of this? Ugh, it was so incredibly frustrating to only be hearing one side of the conversation!

Undine looked worried. _‘Do you… remember her?’_ Luke shook his head and she smiled sadly. _‘It’s for the better that you don’t.’_

As they flew over Deo Pass, Ion glanced down at the rough terrain below and a look of intrigue came to his face. “This is where it all started?”

“Yeah.” Guy said as he gazed downwards as well. Ah, there was the trail that he and his unit took to set up their campsite a ways to the east. It looked so small from up here. “I was sent out of the Malkuth encampment by Jade to handle the supposed dragon that the other soldiers had seen.”

“You did a poor job,” Jade hummed and Guy scoffed.

“You gave me an impossible task!” Especially considering the time that he actually did fight against Luke, he didn’t last very long against him. Being literally eaten alive was something that was going to give him nightmares for years to come. He shuddered a little at the memory and shook his head. Better to not think about that.

“I was really tempted to kill you back then,” Luke spoke in slight amusement, “but doing that would have ensured there to be even more fighting on my doorstep. I just wanted you damn humans gone so I could go back to sleep, so I let you go.”

“For which I am entirely grateful.” Guy weakly chuckled, letting go of Tear’s waist to scratch at the back of his head. “You really have no idea just how terrifying you were back then. I can still remember how scared I was.”

“If that’s true, you’ve really come a long way.” Tear peered over her shoulder to look at him. “The way you stood up to Luke back there was most impressive and certainly took a lot of bravery on your part.”

“Well, like hell I was going to stand there and let Luke try to intimidate me when we had an issue to work out.” That earned an irritated grumble from the red and Guy smirked, reaching out to gently pat the dragon’s neck. “You got to punch me for being stupid so we’re even.” 

“Hopefully the townsfolk of Akzeriuth won’t give us any issue about going into their mines. Some places don’t take kindly to strangers wanting to get involved in their personal effects.” Meryl said mainly to herself, thinking aloud.

Luke snorted. “It’s _my_ territory, I go wherever I damn well please within it. It’s the humans who built there without my permission.”

“I know how you feel…” Ginji muttered in agreement, although Sheridan was built by the fringes of his territory, and not directly on top of it.

“Well forgive us for not realizing that dragons still existed in the world,” Meryl huffed. “You all did a pretty damn good job of making sure anything of magic or myth related appear to have not existed at all. I mean hell, the last dragon we ever heard of in the world was the one Guy’s great, great, gre-”

“Enough.” Jade cut in harshly, startling Meryl. “I will hear no more of this topic. We’ve arrived.” And he swooped down low to land along a stretch of flat land that overlooked the city.

The others followed and landed nearby, everyone dismounting and gathering their supplies together. When they approached the edge of the cliff, they were absolutely disheartened to see the condition of the famed mining city. Exactly like the valley, Akzeriuth had become a desolate wasteland buried under the dense smog of purple mist. Bodies littered the streets, as if everyone had suddenly dropped dead in the middle of what they had been doing. There was no life, no movement, no sound. Everything was deathly still and the resulting silence made their ears ring.

“We’re too late…” Meryl stared down at the city dejectedly, feeling sick to her stomach. Why did there always have to be so much death in this world…?

“I can smell it from here… it’s awful!” Anise whined, bringing a hand up to her nose.

“How are we possibly going to make it through all of that?” Ion clutched onto the holy amulet around his neck tightly.

“You don’t. You stay here.” Luke said, looking down on the group. “I know the tunnels by heart. I can get in and out of there with Shadow fast. I’ll need Sylph to come with me, though. That miasma is too thick, even for me.” He faced the green orb, which chimed in agreement.

“This is worse than the valley...” Tear spoke in just above a whisper.

“I’ll be fine. Sylph will help keep me protected. Just, hang tight here until I get back.” Luke said as he took off into the air, Sylph sticking close by to lend her aid. The group had remained tense as that eerie silence came back to haunt them. It certainly didn’t help that, on top of the depressive setting, Jade looked downright agitated, which was a very rare thing to see. Jade was not one to usually lose composure like that. 

Guy stared at Jade for a few moments and found himself wondering if Jade perhaps knew the dragon that his ancestor had killed. A friend? A loved one?

“...Nephry.” Guy spoke aloud without realizing. Ginji and Noelle both looked _panicked_. Jade whipped his head around and narrowed his gaze at the blond. A low growl sounded and suddenly, all eyes were on them. “The dragon my great, great, great grandfather slayed, her name was Nephry, wasn’t it?”

“Don’t speak of things you know _nothing_ about.” Jade snapped and Peony grew serious.

“Jade, cut it out.” But the older blue didn’t listen. Guy didn’t back down to Jade’s intimidation tactics, however. He wanted to know, and he was going to find out. He was more than comfortable standing his ground after all of the talks he and Jade have had.

“Who was she? A mate?” 

“My younger sister.” Jade hissed and Guy’s eyes widened a little. “She had her head cut off and all of her eggs smashed to pieces by your ancestor. Imagine the absolute _joy_ I felt to see your family name on my roster for the unit I had to take into the mountains.”

Guy trembled ever so slightly. “So… You sending me off by myself back then wasn’t just about Luke?” Jade had actively sought to get him killed. He knew that Jade had left him and Luke behind at the desert with those same intentions but this felt… different.

_“I believe your great, great, great grandfather got the honor of slaying it, correct?” the colonel asked and Guy nodded. “Your ancestor mounted its head on a pike and paraded it around as a trophy, right?” Again, Guy nodded. “I want you to look into this matter.”_

“Of course not. I wanted you dead and have your damned bloodline wiped clean from this world once and for all. It was so perfectly ironic, too. A dragon slayer's bloodline felled at the claws of a dragon.”

“ _What_?” Peony stepped forwards and stood by Guy’s side, placing a protective hand on the knight’s shoulder. “I want an explanation and I want one now, Jade.”

“Feel free to judge me all you like, your majesty. The sentiments I just expressed are not the same ones I have this day. I have come to regret the actions of my past in the time we’ve spent traveling together. But you must understand, Gailardia,” Jade looked back over to the blond, “When she died, she died protecting herself and her nest rather than her gateway, and as such, her soul ceased to exist. I was _angry_ , I still am, but now I realize it was wrong for me to direct that anger towards you or your family for the action of one man.”

Guy stared at him. “...My family?”

“I was the one who framed your family for the assassination of Divine Trithiem.”

Guy felt his veins ice over and his stomach drop. Everything around him blurred out and all he could focus on was the sound of his heart beating in his ears. The others were saying things, he didn’t care. Instantly he flashed back to that dark night where he and his older sister ran for their very lives only for Mary to be cut down right in front of him. He was five years old all over again, staring up at this massive woman who called herself the Knight Commander raise her blade at him. He ran and tripped over some tree roots, scraping his palms and knees against the rough ground.

He was five years old and screaming as he bashed her head with a large and heavy rock. He grabbed at her sword and widely swung it. Her body went limp against the blade and her weight crushed him beneath her. He struggled and fought to get out but he couldn’t move and blood coated him. He screamed and cried for hours and no one came for him. Trapped. Alone. Surrounded by blood and corpses.

Guy took in a shaky breath and his hand rested on the hilt of his family’s blade. Peony and Ion were both arguing with Jade, but Guy still didn’t care to listen. He gripped the hilt tightly and shook his head. “You… _You_ were the one that got my family killed?” He looked up at the blue dragon with an _angry_ glare. “My family _had nothing_ to do with what happened to your sister. _None_ of us had ever even seen a dragon, let alone kill one!”

“Gailardia,” Peony started but Guy shrugged the emperor’s hand off of his shoulder.

“What do you want me to say?” Jade asked. “An apology would be inappropriate at this point. This is something that will never warrant forgiveness.”

“To hell with formalities! Stop treating this like some faux paus! I was _five_! I watched my entire family be slaughtered for _no_ good reason and I went through hell!” His hand trembled. Gods, dammit all! Damn it all to oblivion! This was just too much; first Luke and now this? What had he done to deserve all of this?

When Jade didn’t immediately reply, his face involuntarily twitched and he bared his teeth. “I already regret my past choices and have ceased my want for vengeance. I’ve come to rely on you as an ally-”

Guy drew his sword and aimed it at Jade. The blue dragon went wide eyed and took several steps backwards, wings flared and spines raised. Meryl and Anise were gasping, Ginji and Noelle were pleading that Guy put the blade away. Tear couldn’t believe Guy would dare to raise that blade against one of their comrades. “Shut up, just shut the fuck up, Jade!” His voice and hands trembled as that anger turned to rage.

“Gailardia Galan Gardios!” Peony moved and put himself in between Guy’s blade and the older blue. “Sheath your weapon this instant! That is an order!”

“Step aside, Peony!”

“I won’t, and if you actually try to use that blade against him I will have you arrested and punished. Do not test me, Gailardia.” Peony shot back and Guy couldn’t believe his ears.

“You’re protecting that monster!? After what he just confessed!?”

“Which I will deal with once all of this is over and done with. Jade attempted to kill one of my own country’s soldiers and noblemen while he was working under my banner. That is treason, and for that he will be punished accordingly. This is not for you to-”

“The hell it’s not!” Guy argued back angrily.

“And so it’s alright for you to spill blood over the loss of your family but not for Jade? I am not defending his actions by any means, Gailardia, do not misinterpret. But I don’t condone your choice of actions, either. Jade has admitted his regrets and came forwards with what he’s done, I think that speaks for his sincerity on the matter.”

Guy grit his teeth and his hand shook violently. Fuck…. Gods, dammit! He sheathed his blade and stormed away, not in the mood to speak to or be near anyone now.

With the blade gone, Jade released a nervous breath that he had been holding, relaxing a little bit now that the threat was no longer immediate. To think that blade would actually be turned towards him… _That_ certainly was ironic. He glanced downwards and found the emperor to be glaring at him from over his shoulder, and internally, Jade winced. That was justified, to be certain. “Thank you, your majesty,” he said quietly, but Peony could only let out a heavy sigh as he shook his head.

“You and I will be talking later about this.”

“Of course…”

 

Undine, Efreet, and Gnome had watched the drama unfold from the sidelines, but when Guy had drawn his blade, Undine realized just what had seemed so familiar about him. To think, that cursed bloodline has managed to survive after 300,000 years and still wield that dreadful blade. It had been reforged several times and looked different than its original inception, but there was no denying that it was the same blade used in those heinous, hellish acts so long ago.

To think they were relying on the descendant of Sigmund… This really was punishment for their sins, wasn’t it?


	49. Shadow

It had taken Luke roughly around ten minutes to head into the mines, locate the seal housing Shadow, break it, exit the tunnels, and return up to the cliff where his comrades were waiting for him. He swooped upwards and out of the mists, the protective winds around him dissipating as he landed close by. Next to him was the familiar green orb of Sylph, but there was also a bright purple orb now in his company, which had to be Shadow. All of the other colourful orbs rushed over to greet him, a cacophony of excited ringing filling the empty air.

“Welcome back.” Noelle said, sounding genuinely relieved that Luke had made it back safely. That thick a concentration of miasma was dangerous. “I’m glad to see that you’re alright...”

“I told you it wasn’t anything to worry about. It was actually much easier this time since I had Sylph’s help. We should keep moving if we want to get to Rem by nightfall, we have enough daylight to skirt by.”

“...I don’t think that’s going to happen.” She nervously laughed and Luke looked at her confusedly. “You, well, right after you left there was some… Uh, well…” The bronze stumbled over her words a little bit.

“Your mate drew his blade on Jade.” Ginji spoke up and Luke went wide eyed.

“He _what_?!” That couldn’t be right- Guy would never dare to use that blade on another dragon after what it had done to him. That had to be some sort of mistake. “He didn’t try to attack Jade, did he?” He looked around with worry, trying to locate the older blue. The dragon in question had secluded himself on the far side of the cliff, resting his head down on the ground while the emperor was speaking to him. Peony looked pretty angry, from what he could see- the gods weren’t exactly close in proximity so his vision wasn’t the greatest. Guy was nowhere to be found.

“No, thankfully…” Meryl stepped forwards and crossed her arms. “Peony was able to talk him down, but Guy stormed off somewhere and we haven’t seen him since.”

“Dare I ask what actually happened?” Luke asked with caution, dreading whatever the answer could be. He knew Guy had been… worked up, ever since the knight figured out about his impending demise, but it was nothing that could lead him to threatening to harm one of their companions like that.

“Apparently, Jade was the one who had framed Guy’s entire family for the assassination of the previous Divine.” Ion answered, looking conflicted. “It was retaliation after Guy’s ancestor killed Nephry.”

A look of understanding came to Luke’s face. That explains so much… He had been awake at the time of her killing and had heard the news, but he went into hibernation shortly after Jade had been appointed the new guardian of Sylvana so he never heard who had actually done the killing. Knowing Jade, the blue had likely been killing as many Gardios’ as possible over the years as revenge.

That would also explain just why Jade had enlisted in the Malkuth military, it was a perfect cover to get close to Malkuth’s nobility.

Luke swapped back to his elven form and kept an ear out for Guy’s mana frequency. It was faint, but he could hear it back a ways, down a hill and near a cavern. Mieu was approaching the distraught knight, likely to try and console him since Luke hadn’t been present. Bless that little fuzz ball. “Guy’s close, but I don’t think it’s my place to interfere in this matter.”

“If he’d listen to anyone right now, it’d be you.” Anise said but Luke shook his head.

“He was still raw about what is going to happen to me, and this only added to it… He just needs some space and time to sort out his emotions.”

“Time isn’t exactly a luxury we have, Luke.” Tear glanced back over to the mining city, specifically looking at the various dead bodies piled up in the streets. “The miasma is getting worse and worse. We need to end this as soon as possible.”

“I know. Believe me, I know. But the battles to come are going to be tough considering Cherna still has Asch and Sync under her employ, and it would be unwise to show up to them unprepared. I think we can spare one night here to… collect ourselves. Rem is relatively close; if we get an early start tomorrow morning, we can likely make up the lost time heading to Hod.”

“That might be for the best. The air is pretty clean up here so I think it should be safe to camp. Anise, would you please help me set up our bedrolls?” Ion asked the young girl and she nodded, following along behind him to gather up their supplies from Noelle.

 

Camp had been set up with relative ease, and as the day started to draw to a close, Tear ignited a fire and started to divvy up some of their food rations amongst the party. They mostly sat together, clustered around the warm fire and talked about whatever came to mind, but it was still hard to shake off the somber mood that clung to the area. Jade opted to keep his distance still, even though he and the emperor had long since finished their talk. Guy was also nowhere to be seen still, and Mieu hadn’t returned yet, either.

Ginji and Noelle were both in their human forms, seated next to Luke, enjoying their cuts of salted meat when suddenly, Ginji let out an irritated growl and huffed angrily. “For the love of Lorelei- Is Shadow _ever_ going to shut up about Rem?”

“It’s a little annoying, I agree…” Noelle sighed softly.

“I’m more worried about your blatant disrespect towards our deities…” Tear muttered as she shot Ginji a questioning look. The younger blue conceded.

“Well, yeah, okay. But ever since Luke brought him back here, he’s been talking about nothing but Rem and trust me, you’re lucky you don’t have to hear it.”

“We get to hear it, just in chiming form. It’s equally annoying,” Anise mumbled before shoving her bread and cheese into her mouth.

“He’s talking about Rem?” Tear asked curiously and Luke nodded.

“Shadow loves Rem. And I mean _loves_ Rem. Apparently the two of them were together before they were sealed away. I can’t imagine being separated from someone for nearly 300,000 years, let alone spending that entire time in utter isolation.” Luke said as he glanced upwards towards the sky. The fon belt was especially beautiful tonight.

“I’d think 300,000 years would be nothing for immortal beings.” Meryl furrowed her brow slightly. “I mean, you certainly treat time much differently than we do. You spend years at a time asleep. 7,000 years is still only just your childhood. I can’t even begin to imagine just how long the gods have been around for, and what they have seen over the years.”

“You’re right, time is very different for us.” Noelle lowered her hands down into her lap. “But even so, we still feel things like loneliness. Guarding gateways had always been considered special, an honor, but no one would ever tell you just how lonely it could be.”

“Spending thousands of years in a single, far away location where people never go, unable to really leave… I can remember how happy I felt when Sheridan was built.” Ginji smiled a little at the memory.

“I started to venture out into the desert just to socialize with the traveling merchants, I was so lonely.” Noelle pulled her knees up to her chest. “There was this one group of mercenaries who would come through pretty often. I ended up befriending the leader. He had the most adorable daughter who’d pretend to shoot at bandits.”

Meryl blinked. “You’re not talking about the Desert Lions, are you?”

“Ah, yes. That was their name. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen them. I think it’s been around fifteen years or so. I hope they’re doing okay.”

A smile came to Meryl’s face and she placed a hand to her chest. “Why, yes, we are doing okay.”

“Oh my- you’re certainly not four years old anymore.” Noelle was grinning in amusement. “I’m not sure if you remember me, but I spent a few weeks traveling with your company. I ended up showing your father the fastest way to navigate through the desert safely.”

“You also taught him a fair bit of dovah’mir.” Luke glanced over towards her. “You can imagine the shock I felt when he addressed me in my own tongue.”

“I’m amazed he remembered it after so long. Dovah’mir is especially tricky for mortals to pick up.” Noelle mused. 

“I am sorry that being a guardian has caused you such hardship.” Tear bowed her head to them. “We’ve always been taught to respect and revere dragons. You were these grand, mysterious creatures that held immense power. Never once did we ever take into consideration the possibility of you having feelings… Or, forgive me, I didn’t word that properly...” Her face flushed pink out of embarrassment.

“No, it’s alright. We get it.” Luke tried to assure her. “We used to think the exact same thing about the gods. I’ve only ever spoken with Lorelei through mana crystals until we started releasing them, I never imagined they’d be so...” He gesticulated, unable to really think of a proper term to describe them other than ‘human’.

“Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask, would you please show us what Undine and Shadow look like?” Ion asked and Anise nodded eagerly.

“Yeah, yeah! I want to see!”

“Well, I’m still vision impaired. And even if they’re close by, I can’t draw very well.” Luke shrugged. 

Noelle weakly chuckled and raised her hand. “I can’t draw, either.”

“I got this,” Ginji muttered as he summoned his claws and used one to sketch in the dirt. It took a little while, and the drawing wasn’t as refined as Jade’s had been, but it was still a very accurate representation of Undine. “I tend to draw up schematics for Iemon and the others when I helped out around their forges. It’s not the same as drawing people, but it’s better than nothing.”

The mortals all crowded around to get a good look at it, and marveled at the water goddess’ beauty- much to Undine’s amusement. She always did love getting praised.

“What about Shadow?” Tear asked and Ginji stalled for a moment.

“He’s… somewhat impossible to depict. Shadow doesn’t really have a shape. Shadow is… well, a shadow, that can take different forms whenever he wants. The best I could really describe him is as somewhat of an anthropomorphic blob of black, though he does seem to take the form of a large dog or wolf quite often.”

“Wow, Shadow seems really mysterious.” Meryl spoke softly and Luke could only laugh.

“Trust me, he’s not by any means.”

 

Late, late into the night well after the fire had died down into smoldering embers, Luke was gently shaken awake from his restful slumber. He groaned and rubbed at his sleep filled eyes, hearing Guy’s frequency right behind him. Oh, good, he came back. It couldn’t possibly be morning yet… right? “Mm, yeah…?” He tried to keep his voice down as he sat upright.

“I’m sorry for waking you… I’m… just not tired,” Guy muttered.

Luke opened up his eyes and blearily looked around. Everyone was still asleep curled up around the campsite, even Mieu had found a nice cozy spot next to Tear. “Do you want to talk?”

“No… Could I… braid your hair?”

Well, that certainly wasn’t something he was expecting to be woken up over. “Uh, sure, if that’s what you want?” He shrugged lamely. He could hear Guy shuffle behind him and take a seat on the ground, and soon thereafter Luke could feel Guy’s fingers gently combing through his tresses.

The two sat there in a comfortable silence, and Guy did just what he asked, separating Luke’s hair into three parts that he then braided together. Without a proper band or hair tie, the braid came undone shortly after its completion due to the still somewhat short length of Luke’s hair, but that didn’t seem to bother Guy. Instead, he simply rebraided it, allowed it to come undone, and he rebraided it again. It was a cycle that continued for around fifteen minutes, and while Luke found it a little strange, he did admit that he liked the feeling of Guy playing with his hair. It’d been awhile since he’d felt something like this, and it was really nice getting to indulge in this type of sweet closeness.

Eventually, Guy seemed to grow bored of this and stopped attempting to braid the hair, and instead took to just stroking and playing with the hair itself. Luke sighed softly and leaned back into the touch, a small smile gracing his face.

“Could you bring out your horns?”

Oh, Guy certainly didn’t have to ask twice. Luke leaned forwards a little bit and manifested his horns before easing himself back into his previous position. Those fingers left his hair and instead moved to gently touch the exposed bone, causing Luke to sigh in contentment. The circumstances leading up to this certainly sucked, but boy, this was so nice.

“You can bring out your wings, too.”

Luke looked over his shoulder at him and quirked his brow. “I can’t keep my voice down when you touch my wings. I don’t want to wake the entire camp.”

“Please, Luke-”

“Guy, talk to me.” He reached upwards and placed his hand over Guy’s grabbing it gently. “What’s wrong? Meryl told me you pulled your blade on Jade earlier.” 

“...I shouldn’t have done that. I know I shouldn’t have, but I swear, I relived that horror, Luke. Jade confessed, and all of a sudden I was right there in the forest running for my life and screaming for help while my family was killed… I felt sick and angry and in that moment I had power over Jade. I wanted to use it against him so bad, Luke… If Peony hadn’t stopped me-”

Luke shook his head and gave Guy’s hand a tight but gentle squeeze. “You wouldn’t have. I know you, you’re too good natured to do something like that. Not after you saw what it put me through.” Guy didn’t respond, so Luke let go of his hand and reached out to cup his face. “Please, trust me on this.”

“Is Jade actually sorry?” Guy reached up to pull Luke’s hands away. “I can’t- I can’t tell with him. I’ve never been able to read him properly.”

“Back in Chesedonia, after you kicked me out of the room… Jade and I had a talk out in the hallway, and he asked me if I regret not telling you the truth. I said to him that it hurt, having you know the truth about my situation, I didn’t want you to worry or be upset. But at the same time, it was a weight off my shoulders I hadn’t realized was there. I felt better having you know, because then I wouldn’t be suddenly leaving you, you would have time to… accept it.” Guy frowned a little and looked away. “Jade grew contemplative after that, and admitted he had done things in the past that had caused him a lot of regret. I asked if he wanted to confess it, but I never got a straightforward answer. I think he wanted to come clean, but he wasn’t sure how. There really hasn’t been a... ‘proper’ time to do something like that lately.”

“I understand… I’m still… I’m still angry and upset, but I understand.” He let out a very heavy sigh.

“You don’t have to forgive him.”

“I know. I’ll never be able to…” He took in a stuttered breath and looked upwards, focusing on the sky. “But I should apologize for drawing my blade on him…”

“Are you going to be okay…?”

“No. No, I’m not. I’m trying, Luke. I swear, I’m trying, but it’s taking everything I have to keep myself from falling apart.” A lump formed in his throat. “I mean, tomorrow we’re getting Rem, and then after that… It’s just too soon. I’m not ready to say goodbye to you, I don’t _want_ to say goodbye to you.”

“It’s not goodbye. As long as Lorelei exists, I exist.”

“But you won’t be _here_ -!” Anise shifted in her sleep and Guy forced himself to take in a deep breath to calm down. He had been raising his voice without realizing, and waking the camp was something he didn’t want to do. “You… you won’t be here with me.”

“I’m so sorry, Guy… I really should have told you the truth as soon as I found out.”

Guy reached outwards and wrapped his arms around Luke, pulling him in for a tight hug. “I love you so much, Luke.”

The redhead reciprocated and nuzzled against the blond lovingly, being mindful of his horns. “I love you too, Guy. And whatever happens, I’m so glad that I took that chance to be with you.”

“Me too.” Guy weakly laughed, bringing a hand up to rub at his eyes. 

“Hey, no crying. It’s not all bad, I’m giving you my hoard.”

“And what the hell am I supposed to do with all that treasure?” Guy laughed dryly. 

“Whatever you want with it. It’ll be yours and yours alone. You could give it away or donate it or use it to buy things. I know how much you love building and engineering. Maybe you could head out to Belkend or Sheridan and work closely with your idols, using it to fund your projects.”

“I thought you considered my hobby annoying.”

“I don’t really understand the appeal to it, but I know it makes you happy, and that’s all I want for you. I don’t… I don’t know what will happen to me when I return to Lorelei, but if I manage to maintain my sense of self, I’ll do what I can to have Lorelei watch over you, maybe more if it’s within my power.”

“I can hope… I know that the gods aren’t very fond of humanity considering our entire banishment to a fake world, but, I hope that we’ve at least proved ourselves to them that we’re worth it.”

“Lorelei loves you, because I love you.” Luke smiled at him. “Lorelei loves all of our companions because I love them, too. We’ve long since changed Lorelei’s opinion on humanity, Guy. Why else did he willingly help me lower the outerlands into Eldrant safely?”

Guy raised his brows a bit at that and took a moment to think that over. His cheeks then flushed darkly. “Wait- does Lorelei see _everything_ that you do?”

“And hear and feel.”

“So… Lorelei has seen me naked?” His voice rose in pitch.

“Don’t be so embarrassed. I wouldn’t have fallen for you if you weren’t Lorelei’s type.”

“Lorelei has a _type_?!” Guy balked, and Luke quickly shushed him. “Sorry, sorry. It’s just, that’s a little surprising to hear. I didn’t think the gods cared about mortals, let alone who was attractive enough to date.”

Luke couldn’t help but to chuckle. “The gods are not without their compassion, Lorelei included. Lorelei…” he paused, trying to focus on the fuzzy memories in his mind and ended up flashing back to Yulia, “...Lorelei is deeply compassionate about life. He cares about mortals. I’m not sure just what happened that led to the banishment of humanity, but it must have been something bad for him to become that angry.”

“And that’s not really something you can just ask them about?” Guy asked and Luke shook his head.

“It had something to do with Yulia, but beyond that, they won’t tell me anything, saying it’s ‘for the better I don’t remember’.” Luke rolled his eyes. “I’ll gain all that memory back in two days, so I don’t understand why they don’t bother to just tell me now.”

“Maybe that’s their compassion towards you?” Guy offered, but something about that didn’t sit well with Luke. They used to call him Lorelei and treat him like he was, and now they were trying to differentiate the two of them just because he had limited time left? Talk about patronizing... 

“Maybe… Anyways,” he straightened up a little bit and dismissed his horns, “It’s late, and we’re getting an early start tomorrow morning. We should try to get some sleep-”

“I’m not tired.”

“The keyword is try.” He reached outwards and took hold of Guy’s hands again. “If you can’t sleep, then we’ll just spend the night lying together. We can talk about whatever you want, or if you just want to keep in silence, I don’t mind. I’m just glad that I still get to be near you.”

Guy dropped his gaze and felt guilt eating away at him inside. “I’m sorry I left.”

“Shh. It’s okay. The past is in the past. You came back, that was what mattered.” He offered Guy a weak smile and the blond nodded. 

Right, he was right. 

The two of them adjusted their positions so they were lying next to one another on top of Luke’s bedroll, and Guy wrapped his arms around the redhead as he stared upwards at the night sky. The fon belt glittered and sparkled brightly amongst all of the stars. There were a few clouds obstructing his view, but overall, it was a very beautiful and serene setting that helped put his worried mind at ease. He tightened his grip around Luke and craned his neck to place a soft kiss to his forehead.

Tomorrow was going to be exhausting.


	50. Rem

_Luna Redecan, Gnomeday 33 N.D. 2018_

Morning had come rather quickly, the sun peeking out just over the horizon. Anise was the first to stir, her nose scrunching up before she sneezed loudly and then coughed heavily. Her throat felt raw and irritated, and when she opened up her eyes, they started to sting and water up. In a mild state of confusion she forced herself to sit upright and look around to find that a slight tinge of purple stained the air in their camping ground. She opened her mouth to exclaim her shock, but her throat continued to burn and itch leading her to another, more violent, coughing fit.

Ion soon awoke thereafter, and he too was graced with uncontrollable coughing fits. His chest felt heavy and constricted, and when he tried to sit upright his head swam and led to him falling back onto the ground. After that, it didn’t take long for the others to awaken from all of the noise. Mieu outright puffed up and started to hiss upon his waking, looking highly agitated.

“What is this…?” Meryl rasped as she brought a hand up to her throat, coughing weakly.

“There’s miasma here!” Tear gasped, extending her hand out to conjure up a gust of wind to clear out the area. It worked briefly, giving the group a chance for a breath of fresh air before the sinister mist came creeping back to surround them completely.

“It’s spread this much overnight?!” Anise wheezed, rubbing her stinging eyes.

“We need to get out of here!” Ginji urged as he got up and quickly changed shape. Noelle and Luke followed suit, going so far as to flap their wings in a vain attempt to clear the air. Thankfully for them, Sylph used her dominion over the winds to generate another, much larger, protective air current around them, keeping the mist at bay so they could gather their supplies without too much worry.

“Hah… Thank you, Sylph.” Ion weakly smiled up at the green orb, and there was a sweet chime in reply.

“Ion! Are you okay?” Anise rushed to the boy’s side and started to check him over. He wasn’t feverish, praise the seven, but he looked pretty pale and his eyes were somewhat glassy. Who knew just how long they had been breathing in the miasma without even realizing it...

“I feel a little dizzy…” he whispered quietly, still having a hard time sitting upright even with aid. Tear came at the behest of Anise and provided a little healing magic in hopes of revitalizing the boy. They had a lot of flying ahead of them today, and they couldn’t risk Ion becoming too weak to the point where he might fall off. Thankfully, the magic did what it was supposed to, and a little colour came back to the Divine’s face. “Thank you, Tear. I feel much better.”

“Good,” Tear breathed a sigh of relief before glancing back to the agitated cheagle. “Mieu, are you alright, too?”

“It hurts to breathe!” The little creature squeaked, pawing at his nose repeatedly before sneezing. Tear picked the cheagle up and placed a finger to his nose, a small golden light flashing before Mieu blinked and smile broadly. “Tear, you’re amazing!”

“We should get moving. Idling here longer than necessary would be foolish.” she said, seeing Peony already tending to their bedrolls. As Tear turned to help pack up camp, the princess caught a glimpse of Guy out of the corner of her eye and watched him silently for a few moments. He hadn’t been coughing or looked irritated by the mists at all. In fact, he had seemed completely unfazed by it… A sense of unease filled her as her gaze dropped down to the blade resting on the ground next to him. Was Guy even actually a human...?

“Where are we headed?” Meryl asked as she pulled her armor on and grabbed her bow and quiver.

“A peninsula to the southwest from here that was originally in Eldrant. The Tower of Rem is located there, and subsequently, our light goddess.” Luke explained as Guy pulled himself up into the saddle and started to clip in. “It’ll only take three hours to get there from here.”

“What’s the Tower like?” Ion asked curiously and Tear’s face lit up a little. 

“It’s this amazing spire that stretches up so high into the sky. It’s a holy place, one that was used for pilgrimages by the faithful to show their devotion.” she explained, but Anise didn’t quite buy it.

“You go to a tower to show your devotion?”

“You have to _climb_ the tower. I do believe it is still the tallest building in the world.” Tear pointed out and Anise paled a little bit.

“G-Good thing we can just fly straight to the top, right?” she laughed nervously as she climbed up onto Ginji and got settled.

Guy finished hooking up the straps from his armor to the saddle and sat there quietly, keeping his gaze low. After the events of yesterday, and the events of three days prior, he didn’t particularly feel like he was ‘welcomed’ amongst the group anymore. It almost felt like he was a stranger, looking in. It was a weird feeling, isolating and lonely. He didn’t really know what to do or to say. Time was drawing short, and at this point, it just felt like he was going along with the motions. Tomorrow was-

“-Guy?” The knight blinked and snapped out of his stupor, glancing around to find the source of that voice. It was Meryl, perched atop Jade’s back in front of her husband. Everyone seemed to be ready, their supplies all packed up and tied up to Noelle like before.

“Yeah?” he asked back weakly, keeping his grip on the horn of the saddle tight.

“Are you alright?” she asked and the knight slowly nodded.

“Ah, yeah, sorry. I am…” he paused, before directing his attention to the older blue beneath her. “...I’m sorry.” he barely managed to say, and although he meant it for threatening to use his sword against Jade, dammit he did not want to be saying it. Even just looking at Jade still made him angry, made him think of his family, and all the hardships he had to go through after their loss. His hands shook a little, and he forced himself to avert his gaze to keep his composure. No, it wouldn’t do to break down now… He wasn’t the one that should be crying.

Jade bowed his head to the blond, keeping silent out of respect. He more than understood the feelings of animosity Guy held onto, and Jade refused to judge him for it. Instead, he kept his distance. “Well, shall we be going?” he asked to no one in particular. Luke was the first to take off.

A damp chill clung to the air as ominous looking clouds formed together in the distance. Thunder clapped loudly, and a sharp gust of wind hit them from the side. To avoid the oncoming storm they adjusted their trajectory and aimed high, high above the cloud cover where the skies would be clear. Unfortunately, what should have been the beautiful blue they were all so familiar with was instead eclipsed by more of that garish purple. 

Try as Sylph may, it was impossible to clear the air for them. The miasma was just too much in quantity, thoroughly saturating the air. She tried again, and again, ignoring the futility of her actions. _‘Why…?! Why isn’t it working!?’_

_‘Sylph, calm yourself. You’ll only make the storm worse.’_ Undine tried to soothe her but the wind goddess paid little heed.

_‘How can I be calm?! I can’t- my domain over the air is slipping! I feel so weak…!’_

_‘You had already ssssplit yourssself into three guardiansss,’_ Shadow hissed. _‘Two of them have been cut off from you permanently. It makesss sssenssse that the air would be polluted the easssiessst.’_

 _‘And part of Lorelei has been cut off from him, too…’_ Gnome noted and the various deities looked greatly troubled by this fact. Lorelei was the only one with the power to purify the miasma entirely. If he were to be weakened...

 _‘I can feel my own ties to the ocean waning… My poor children are crying out for help, and there’s nothing I can do about it…’_ Undine looked like she wanted to cry.

 _‘It’s not looking well for any of us…’_ Efreet bowed his head.

 _‘Rem would know something, right? Rem always knows what to do!’_ Sylph suggested with hope and desperation so painfully prominent in her tone. 

_‘There’s no guarantee…’_ Undine downcast her gaze to the storm below. _‘All we do now is hope for a miracle, or for a swift end.’_

 

They flew swiftly until the tip of the tower came into view, peeking up through the clouds in the distance. Tear had said it was tall but _none_ of them could have predicted that it would be _this_ tall. They all came in for a landing along a large, open air platform that spanned outwards for quite a ways. In the center of the round platform was a massive chunk of mana crystal jutting out towards the sky, identical to the previous ones that had sealed the other gods. A glimmer of light seemed to be hidden just beneath the surface of the crystal, and Shadow immediately raced to it, soft yet frantic chimes filling the air.

“What is Shadow doing?” Meryl asked as the dragons watched for a few moments.

“Whispering sweet nothings to his beloved, it appears.” Jade answered with mild amusement. Shadow had his hands pressed up against the crystal, and from within, Rem seemed to be reciprocating the gesture. It was heartwarming, knowing that the gods could experience love to this degree. Given their supposed history with violence and metaphorical bloodshed over whom got to rule the planet, it was amazing that two of them- of opposite elements- could forge such a close and tight bond.

Thunder boomed around them once more. They may have passed the bulk of the storm, but the tail end still hung overhead. A light drizzle began to fall, and while Undine could certainly use her power move this storm along, she refrained, opting to instead conserve her dwindling power for later use. 

Luke waited for Guy to dismount before he swapped shape and reassumed his elven form. The cold water sent a shiver down his spine, the nip in the air settling deep into his bones. He watched the interaction between Shadow and Rem for a few more moments before stepping up to the crystal, only to find his feet dragging. He needed to do this, he had to do this… and yet, with each step he took, the world felt like it was slowing down around him. Fear blossomed in the pit of his stomach and he started to feel nauseous as he stood before the massive crystal. 

After this, the moment Rem is released… everything becomes real. And the next time he does this… everything will be over.

He shook his head and slapped his cheeks to snap out of it. Come on, now was not the time to be getting cold feet. The miasma was spreading, he had a job to do. With a deep breath, he steeled his nerves and placed his hands up against the smooth surface.

“Reg do Kun, Zu'u faan voknau hi, zey ahrk fahraal dii bel.1”

The crystal cracked and fractured apart, an intense, blinding light shining through brilliantly. Luke staggered backwards and shielded his eyes as the entire area was bathed in pure white. And then in a flash, the brightness was gone, leaving in its wake a white orb where the crystal had stood. Luke slowly opened his eyes, seeing a magnificent, beautiful, white bird that stretched out its wings before shifting into a white maiden. Shadow had taken the form of a male human and fussed over her before latching onto her tightly.

 _'My Lady!'_ Shadow kissed her enthusiastically.

 _'How I have missed you...!'_ She wrapped her arms around him as well, accepting the embrace. After a few moments of tender touches and sweet affections, the goddess held up her hand to signal that was enough and Shadow quietly released her. She turned her attention to Luke, a smile gracing her face. _'I thank you for releasing me, young one.'_

"Y-you're welcome..." Luke stuttered, truly stunned by Rem's beauty. He’d heard all the tales, seen the artwork and statuary depicting her over the years, but all of it absolutely _paled_ in comparison to the real thing. It was hard keeping the blush on his cheeks to a minimum. Shadow had great taste.

_‘You needn’t waste time informing me of the situation. I am acutely aware of what has been transpiring. Please, we must hurry and free Lorelei before it is too late. With each passing second our power wanes as hers grows.’_

Luke felt his mouth run dry.

Yes, everything had just become real. His hands trembled and his heart started to race, beating loudly in his ears. He thought he had come to terms with his duty, with what limited time he had left, but… Now that he was staring at the sixth out of the seven gods, he felt like he wanted to run away and cry. So many years wasted, sleeping and guarding that damned gateway for nothing. He barely got to spend any time with his brother, and even now, far less time with his chosen mate. What he wouldn’t give for just a _little_ more time…

He balled his hands up into fists and forcibly exhaled, trying to bring his mind back to the task at hand. “Right… Let’s go release Lorelei.”

“Where is Lorelei located, anyways?” Ion asked innocently enough.

“Hod…” Luke replied through grit teeth and Guy winced. 

“Well, that’s certainly something I’ve never heard about before.” Peony crossed his arms and furrowed his brows. Where oh where could a god be housed on that tiny little island? “I’ve never seen anything like the mana crystals when I’ve visited Hod. And Gailardia, I doubt you were old enough to even remember seeing something like that.” 

Guy shook his head quietly. “I have no memory of Hod beyond the family home I used to live in. I wouldn’t know anything about Lorelei being there…”

“Where exactly in Hod _is_ Lorelei?” Meryl asked.

“Yulia’s tomb,” Luke replied sullenly.

Tear stared at him for a long, tense moment before her eyes went wide and she looked angry. “Yulia’s tomb?!” She repeated in shocked disbelief. “How?! She was an _elven_ priestess that was burned by dragonfire and had her ashes scattered from this tower! Why is there a tomb for her in human lands?!” She was upset, justifiably so- this was her ancestor, and Yulia was considered to be a holy figure. The dragons looked to one another uncomfortably, not quite sure how to answer that. Information from that time period was… sensitive, and with six out of the seven gods present, watching their every move, it was best to err on the side of caution. “Answer me, dammit!”

Luckily for her, Rem began to ring and chime, and Tear turned to the dragons looking for some sort of translation. After a few moments, Rem quieted down and Luke scratched at the back of his head.

“…We’re not allowed to tell you.” he answered finally. Tear grew visibly upset by this, but said nothing. She knew that the gods’ words were law, and that dragons were servants of the gods. She knew that it was out of the question for them to disobey, but still… it angered her so bloody much…! This was _her_ heritage!

But, that was all that was said on the matter. Jade took to calculating the fastest route to Hod from the tower, and taking into account various travel times. “Fastest route from here would be to cut across the Zao desert directly, though by the time we get there-”

“The heat will be a problem…” Meryl muttered, pacing around. “Would flying around the continent be feasible?”

“Hm… It’d add an extra hour of travel time or so, depending on favorable winds. I’d wager it’d take six to eight hours to reach Hod from here.”

“If we’re swinging wide to the east, we should stop at Kaitzur along the way and restock supplies. I checked over the stock last night and we were running a little low on some gels. It’d also do to give everyone a little break to stretch their legs.” Noelle suggested but Luke shook his head.

“No. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, we shouldn’t stop. Grab some rations now if you need to eat along the way, but we cannot afford to lose any more time.”

“Luke, are you sure…?” Meryl didn’t like how hard of a gaze the red held. Luke didn’t reply to her, and instead swapped back to his draconic form, his tail twitching back and forth in an irritated manner. Well, that was that then... 

Heeding Luke’s advice, a few of the mortals raided Noelle’s supply stash and pulled out some food for them to nosh on later, before returning to their respective mounts. Then, they were off once again, back into the high skies to get out of the rain and head towards Hod.

The red dragon had kept up a pretty accelerated pace throughout most of the flight. He was a couple miles ahead of the rest of the group, close enough for them not to outright worry, but far enough away for them to not be able to see him clearly. They weren’t hugely concerned, however Luke’s change in demeanor was a bit jarring and enough to warrant conversation by the others.

“I’m really worried about him. He’s not acting right…” Meryl said softly, holding onto her husband’s waist.

“Well what do you expect? The kid’s literally flying to his own demise. I would be acting the same way too if I were in his position.” Peony said as Ginji huffed. “What, you disagree?”

“He’s young, and that human’s gotten too much into his head. Had any of this happened before those two had met, Luke wouldn’t be acting this way at all.” The younger blue dragon stated firmly.

“Agreed. He’s changed quite a bit…” Noelle nodded. “For better or worse, I can’t tell.”

“He’s been forced to grow up quite a bit for the past several months.” Jade stated. “Everything that was familiar to him has been taken away, including his duty as a guardian. That was literally what he was created for. The fact that he’s found new purpose so quickly, it’s impressive.”

“Jade… I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said about Luke.” Peony pointed out and the older dragon huffed.

“Don’t read too much into it. It’s an observation.” he replied but Peony only smirked.

“Sure.”

 

They had just crossed over the Rotellro bridge, which meant that it would be another hour and a half or so before Hod would be in their sights. Luke had been flying for a good long while now, far ahead of the pack, in a comfortable silence. He and Guy had talked for a little bit here and there, worked out a few lingering feelings on the matters at hand, but nothing more. There wasn’t anything else to be said… so in silence they flew.

That is, until a very loud screech ripped out of the sky above. 

A dragon swooped down and plunged its talons into Luke’s side, causing the red dragon to shriek in agony. The attacking dragon released Luke and pivoted back around, ready to make another strike while Luke struggled to keep himself upright. “-I CAN’T SEE, WHERE IS IT!?” Luke gasped as blood started to seep from the wounds. 

“It’s a-!”

The attacking dragon came down hard again, hard, hissing loudly as miasma spilled from its mouth. This time, there was enough force to knock Luke completely out of control, sending the red dragon spiraling downwards towards the ocean where the sea swallowed him up. Luke cried out beneath the cold water, looking around frantically, desperate for some semblance of the where the surface was. Unfortunately, sound became diffused under water and he couldn’t make out a damn thing. 

Panic set in, and he thrashed violently in a desperate act of self preservation before his body forcibly exhaled the breath he had been holding. Involuntarily he sucked in the cold water and it flooded his lungs painfully. He continued to sink further and deeper into the waters, totally blind, surrounded by a terrifying black abyss…

This wasn’t how it was supposed to end…!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> 1 Lady of Light, I call upon you, appear before me!


	51. Bloodlines

_Luna Redecan, Remday 34 N.D. 2018_

Time had a very funny way of becoming distorted whenever something ‘big’ happened. Depending on whatever that ‘big’ thing was, and the person who was experiencing it, time could either fly by quickly or slow to an absolute crawl. The dragon attack seemed to happen in an instant, and the force of the attack was so strong it had dislodged the knight from his perch in the saddle. Thankfully the clips and buckles in place kept him from plummeting outright. 

When Luke lost all control and spiraled downwards towards the water, time almost seemed to stop. Guy glanced upwards, seeing the form of the offending dragon swooping away. Ah… That was Sync. It’d make sense that Cherna’s pets would try to stop them now that they were so close to the end. Actually, it was kind of a miracle that they had managed to evade the other dragons for so long. If Sync was here, did that mean that Asch was, too? He could only hear the sound of one set of wings flapping before it was lost to the rushing of wind.

His backside slapped against the ocean’s surface painfully, and all of Luke’s weight and force sent the two of them deep, deep into the briny water. Time sped back up again as the shock of cold alarmed his system. Panic set in as Luke started to thrash about wildly, and he was unable to get away because the saddle still held him firmly in place. He tried to make a grab for one of the buckles in an attempt to free himself, but Luke’s jerky movements made it impossible for him to keep a steady grip. They were sinking quickly, and light was all but absent as the night skies disappeared overhead. All of the various buckles and clips were gone from sight, lost in the endless abyss of black.

So… This was how it was going to end, huh? Ironic, that the two of them had put so much effort into this and they weren’t even going to make it to the ending. As Guy’s body forced him to exhale the breath he had been holding, a thought flashed across his mind. This… wasn’t so bad. At least the two of them could die together. This godsforsaken planet was not worth saving… Not if it demanded so much blood to prolong its miserable life. 

Everything could sink into the miasma for all he cared.

The ocean split in twain around them, the waters beneath Luke rising up rapidly to the surface as Undine commanded the ocean to her will. Jade dropped downwards and plucked the both of them out of the spray while Gnome raised a small island’s worth of land out of the sea, giving them enough space to drape the unconscious party members out. Ginji quickly landed to drop off his passengers before taking off into the air to ward off that attacking dragon. Merly jumped off of Jade’s back the moment it was safe and sprinted over to the knight’s side, undoing the clasps and buckles as quickly as her fingers allowed. When freed, she pulled him down onto the ground and immediately started to resuscitate him.

Tear was also quick to hurry to Luke’s side, inspecting the damage that had been done to his abdomen and back. Before she could do anything, however, Undine pulled all of the water out of his lungs. The red dragon sputtered and began to gasp for breath for several moments. When it was clear that he could finally breathe again normally, the princess moved in and placed her hand over the gaping wounds. She closed her eyes and started to sing one of her more powerful healing hymns. The mana in the air around them turned golden in hue, and the gathered gods watched her intently as they immediately recognized that tune.

_‘A descendant of Yulia Jue…’_ Efreet said in slight awe.

_‘No way!’_ Sylph shook her head in disbelief. First a descendant of Sigmund, and now a descendant of Yulia. History really was keen on repeating itself, it seemed.

Meryl continued her set of chest compressions and moved in to give another rescue breath when Guy finally started to cough up the water. Undine helped in pulling the rest of it out of him, leaving the blond struggling to get his breathing back under control. His lungs ached and burned, and he was desperate to get oxygen back into his system.

“Guy! Oh thank goodness, you’re alright…!” Meryl let out a sigh of relief. When Guy attempted to move, she placed her hand along his back and aided him in rolling over onto his side.

“Lu-” He coughed again, but that didn’t stop him from looking around to try and find his dragon. “Where’s-?”

“Don’t push yourself too hard!” she scolded, trying to keep him down on the ground still. Guy was having none of it and actively fought her off, so the empress simply sat back and watched quietly as he pulled himself upright into a sitting position. He still swayed a little, but he forced himself to focus when the red dragon came into his field of vision. Luke was still breathing heavily, his sides rising and falling rapidly though it was now beginning to slow down, especially with Tear healing his injuries. The wounds were closing at a remarkable speed.

"What the hell happened to you two out there?!" Anise practically shouted at both Luke and Guy. "Do you have any idea how scared we were for you?!"

“Are you alright, mister Guy?” Mieu squeaked with worry from Ion’s arms.

“It’s not surprising Sync got the drop on them,” Jade muttered as he glanced upwards to the sky, seeing Ginji and the former green guardian dogfight. “Miasma resonantes a counter-frequency to mana. Luke wouldn’t be able to hear it.”

Tear finished her healing hymn and immediately, Luke shifted back into elven form. He tried to pick himself up off the ground, still coughing pretty heavily.

“H-Hey! Not you, too!” Meryl stood up, her hands balled into fists. “You nearly just died! Take it easy!”

“Don’t tell me… what to do…” the red rasped, his throat feeling sore and painful after all of the water he had inhaled. “I’m fine, I’m fine…”

“You most certainly are not!” Tear argued, receiving an appreciative look from the empress. “The gashes were very deep, and-”

“You said the dragon up there was Sync. Is Asch here, too?” Luke asked Jade, and the group fell quiet.

“Not that we’ve seen. He’s likely sticking close to Hod to intercept us should Sync fail, and Ginji seems to be handling Sync well enough.” Jade replied and Guy grew quiet. If that was the case, that meant that the miasma goddess was also likely sticking close to Hod to prevent Lorelei’s release. Nausea crept up into Guy’s throat and he had to swallow back the bile. Hod would be a devastated shell of what it once was if the goddess had taken up residence there. Everyone and everything would be dead... 

“We should keep moving.” Luke pushed himself up to his feet and moved to transform. “We’re almost there.”

“Are you in any condition to fly?” Meryl asked with worry but Luke brushed her off, transforming anyways.

“I’m still alive, I can keep going. Guy, get on.”

Guy hadn’t realized just how numb he felt until he had been called upon. It took him a moment to snap out of his stupor and heed the red’s orders, climbing back up into the saddle. He got himself situated and only did a few of the straps this time- gods forbid they end up going for another swim. “I’ll pay better attention this time...” he managed to mumble.

_‘Wait.’_ Shadow came forwards, looking to Tear. _‘You will need that one to come with you.’_

“What? Why do you want Tear to come with me?” Luke asked incredulously. That certainly captured the elf’s attention.

_‘She is a direct descendant of Yulia Jue. She will be necessary to open the tomb’s inner chambers and forgo the trials hidden within. The magic is in her blood.’_ Rem responded, and Luke felt a bitter taste on the tip of his tongue. How _much_ blood did the gods want from her in order to open up this tomb...?

Tear moved over to Luke's side and looked to him for instruction. Once the orbs of light had stopped chiming, Luke spoke in a serious manner. 

"You need to come with us."

"Is everything alright?" she asked softly.

"Yes, just, you need to come with us." he said again.

Guy offered the princess a hand and helped her up into the saddle. Ah, joy, back to being pressed up against her… At least the flight was going to be short again. It was one thing to be so close, it was another to be so close while completely sopping wet. He muttered a quick apology but the princess paid no mind, currently preoccupied with thoughts as to why she was suddenly a necessary piece to this ever growing puzzle.

When secure, and the air relatively clear with Ginji keeping Sync busy, Luke spread out his wings and took to the air quickly, the others following suit shortly behind him. All of the various gods kept close by, and for the first time since Luke had lost his sight, he could completely see again. There were no blind spots, nothing was muted or fuzzy, it was as if he had never been blinded in the first place… At least for this last portion he’d be able to see it himself, and not spend his final hours in the dark.

 

Now that they were airborne, Luke sped his pace just a bit to get ahead of the rest of the group. He wanted to put a little distance between himself and the others, but he made sure to stick by close enough to not cause them worry after what had just happened. Once at a good distance, Luke felt it was a bit safer to speak. “The gods say that you’re an actual descendant of Yulia,” he spoke aloud. “You had told us this before but, the gods confirmed it.”

“Yes, my family has ruled since her time-… Does this have to do with the supposed tomb located on Hod?” She asked innocently enough.

“Yes.” Luke nodded slowly. “There’s apparently a gauntlet of traps set to prevent anyone from entering, but, according to the gods, you can open the way immediately.” Her grip tightened on saddle.

“…Doral sei ma’elifi’carum?1” she then switched to elvish, picking up on why Luke was so hesitant to answer her questioning earlier. 

“Ronae. Lo’ethala thu’s al shari’adune dor’ano.2” The princess winced. 

“I see… That makes sense…” she trailed off for a moment, coming to terms with her task. If Luke could do it, so could she... “I will do what I can then.” She nodded, now knowing her duty and mission to the gods, and to the world.

“…Thank you.” Luke said in all honesty. He knew exactly how scary something like this was. He admired her courage and strength to face this head on. “The gods are thrilled with your piety.” 

Tear chuckled somewhat warmly. “Well, we elves do revere the gods the most of all. It will be an honor to serve them.” She bowed her head towards a couple of them.

Guy frowned. “Is Tear going to die, too?” The princess stared at him with surprise. The knight did _not_ look pleased. “The two of you are trying to act like I don’t know what’s going on or I’m not going to figure it out.”

“Guy, I-” Tear started, but Guy shook his head.

“You know what, just don’t tell me. I already know.” Guy spat, his grasp on the saddle tight and seemingly unbreakable. How many people would have to die, dammit?!

There was a painfully uncomfortable silence after that, and the remainder of the flight felt tense and awkward. It certainly didn’t help that Guy felt tired on top of everything else after a long day and night of travel. Noelle’s suggestion to stop at Kaitzur really should have been accepted… The blond let out a long, slow exhale and rubbed his eyes, trying to keep focused. It wouldn’t do to have Asch sneak up on them like Sync had.

 

“There it is!” Luke called out.

The instant that Hod came into view, Guy's heart started to race as a cold sweat clung to him. The small island city, renowned for its beauty that rivaled with Malkuth’s capital, was nothing more than a desolate wasteland absolutely shrouded in miasma. The surrounding sea was nothing but sludge and the island itself was starting to crumble apart into it. His home was in there. Everything that he had of his long dead family was in there. The knight swallowed heavily as his eyes scanned the destroyed area as if pleading for the miasma to clear away, but that wouldn't happen. No, it wouldn't be safe until Cherna was dead and that bitch could take nothing more from him. She'll already have Luke in the sense that he had to die to stop her, possibly their friend Tear, too. She couldn't take his damn home on top of everything else.

He would not allow it.

_‘You will need to purify the air.’_ Sylph wrung her hands together nervously as she shook her head. _‘I can’t clear out something that thick. If you can purify enough, I can keep it circulating to protect you like the last few times.’_

“I can do that, don’t worry.” Luke tried to assure her, though, having to use more of Lorelei’s power was a bit of a risk. He hadn’t had to use it recently, so it wasn’t going to put a massive strain on his body, but using it could still alert Asch to their presence… “Can any of you sense Asch?” he asked, but he was only met with more silence. That would be a no, then... 

“Is he down there?” Tear asked.

Luke shook his head. “If he is, the gods can’t sense him. Anyways, we’re heading in. Be on your guard… there’s no telling what we’ll actually come to find when we get down there. The gods will provide us with whatever protection they can.” he said, as all of the balls of light chimed off, as if giving affirmations. 

With that, Luke took them down, swooping in low towards the island. He landed in a residential district, switching forms as soon as possible to make use of Lorelei’s power. In a golden flash, the air around them became purified, and Sylph immediately generated a protective wind current around it in order to keep it from becoming polluted. Jade and Noelle landed nearby, and the others soon came running into the protective sphere of clean air. 

It didn’t take long for the acrid, disgusting smell to hit their noses. Corpses littered the ground, very much like Akzeriuth, but these were far more decomposed. “…They’ve been dead for a while.” Luke muttered as Jade looked around.

“Given the concentration, Cherna most likely came here immediately after she was released from Van.”

“She’s spent nearly a month here… the people must have died quickly…” Meryl gasped, looking around in horror.

A dragon’s roar pierced through the skies above and echoed throughout the area. Noelle whipped around and looked upwards through the haze, worry on her face. “That was Ginji!”

“He sounds injured.” Jade observed, unable to see anything through the absolute fog that enveloped them. “And Sync has managed to chase him back here...”

“I need to help him!” Noelle yelled, ready to make a dash for the outside of their protective sphere, but Jade reached out and snatched her wrist. “-Jade!”

“If you go out there, we can’t guarantee your survival.” he warned. Noelle stared him straight in the eyes, before ripping her wrist out of his grasp. Without a word, she turned around and ran out, disappearing into the mists. Jade sighed heavily, shaking his head. “...Let’s go.”

 

It was difficult trying to navigate around the streets of the city. With how dense the smog was around them, along with all of the bodies lying in the streets, moving from point A to B was... challenging. Luke had known where the tomb was thanks to Lorelei, but he didn’t know where the entrance was in relation to where they were currently. He had never once been to Hod before, and with the miasma obstructing their vision, everything looked vastly similar making it easy to get lost. Thankfully they had the various deities there to guide them along the shortest path, otherwise they would have probably been wandering around for hours.

As they turned a corner and began to head down another row of manors, Guy sucked in a sharp breath and felt like he had been impaled all over again. It was hard to see, but there was no mistaking that gate, the layout of the brick, the shrubs… this was his family’s manor. He stopped dead in his tracks, hands shaking as flashes of his childhood jumped into his forethoughts. Afternoons spent out in the courtyard running around carefree, his sister scolding him for playing pretend when he should have been studying, his mother out on the veranda enjoying the fair weather… Why couldn’t he remember her face clearly? Everything was jumbled and fuzzy and made him feel nauseated-

“Guy!”

The knight blinked, and realized that the group had proceeded without him, leaving him standing in the midst of the toxic fumes. Peony was the one to run out of the safety of Sylph’s protective winds to grab him and drag him back. The emperor doubled over and coughed heavily, bringing his hands up to rub at his tear-filled, irritated eyes.

“What the hell... are you doing? Are you… trying to get yourself killed?!” Peony wheezed, doing his best to yell at him. 

“I-I’m sorry, I just…” he glanced back over his shoulder to try and see his old home, but from this distance it was completely obscured from view. Peony could only continue to cough, drawing great concern from Meryl and Jade both. There was a rattling in the emperor’s chest, and soon after the coughing turned violent until finally, the emperor spit up blood.

“T-TEAR!” Meryl nearly screamed for help. The princess sprang into action with another one of her healing hymns, but Guy could only stare in abject terror as beads of cold sweat trickled down the side of his face. Why wasn’t _he_ coughing, too? Why didn’t his eyes burn so bad he couldn’t even see? What was _wrong_ with him?

That nausea from before came creeping back. He wanted to throw up. The color had drained from his face, and Jade was the first to take notice. The blue dragon stepped forwards and grabbed hold of his shoulders, giving them an almost painful squeeze. “Snap out of it!” Jade ordered. When the blond failed to focus, Jade slapped him across the face.

Immediately Guy was brought back to reality and he trained his gaze on the dragon. His cheek stung quite a bit, but it was something he could keep his mind on rather than the nausea and worrying thoughts. He briefly shook his head and then brought a hand up to his reddened face. “Thanks, Jade…”

“I’ve hypothesized about you possibly being immune to the miasma’s effects but I never considered it to be of this extent.” Jade released him and glanced back over at Peony. Tear had finished her hymn and the emperor looked to be recovering.

“You what…?” Guy asked weakly.

Jade merely pointed to the blade strapped to Guy’s hip. “I only know a tiny fraction of that blade’s history, but what I do know is that any time it has left your family, terrible misfortune and death fell upon those unlucky enough to find it in their grasp. We’ve seen it first hand with Vandesdelca.” Tear flinched, her ears drooping at the mention of his name. “I theorized that you and your bloodline have some sort of hereditary immunity to miasma, which would counteract the negative effects that blade has. It would explain why it has been with your family and yours alone for time immemorium.”

“Is that true?” Luke turned to the deities, however none of them looked like they wanted to answer.

_‘...It is not your place to know.’_ Rem was the only one to speak, but that was not what Luke wanted to hear.

“Enough with the secrets!” Luke threw his hands up into the air. “Enough with the cryptic information! We want answers, Rem.”

_‘This is neither the time nor the place for such a discussion. We are nearly to the entrance of the tomb, so keep moving.’_ Rem snapped sternly and Luke took a step back away from her.

_‘Maybe we should tell them-’_ Gnome spoke up, however Shadow was quick to silence him.

_‘My lady hasss ssspoken. Come, Lorelei awaitsss usss.’_

Luke balled his hands up into fists and grit his teeth. Damnit…! He looked over to Guy and saw just how scared he looked still. If he had any control in Lorelei’s actions after this, oh, he was going to tell Jade _everything_ to tell the rest of the group. They deserved to know what the fuck was going on.

 

They were led down another row of manors and came to a stop, staring at the marble white wall that spanned between two of the manor’s gates. There was a bit of confusion, as there was absolutely nothing beyond the wall to be seen. No mark, no glyph, nothing there at all. Luke quirked his brows and approached, placing his hand up against the wall, but he couldn’t sense any form of magic he recognized. Yet, the gods kept insisting that they were here.

“What’s wrong?” Tear asked curiously and Luke stepped back, looking perplexed.

“I’m not sure how to open this…” Luke admitted and Anise groaned.

“Seriously?! Lorelei told you that there was a tomb hidden here but he never told you how to open it?!”

“Hey, it’s not my fault Lorelei sucks at giving me information!” he snapped back at her.

“Is this where I’m supposed to step in?” Tear asked quietly, however Ion was the one to come forwards.

“Actually,” the divine spoke, “I know how to open it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> 1 Does it involve blood magic?  
> 2 Likely. You may not survive this task.


	52. Lorelei

Luke stared at the divine blankly, not entirely comprehending the fact that a mere human would not only know about the tomb’s existence, but also have the knowledge necessary regarding how to _open_ it. He couldn’t even form the words to express his disbelief, and instead stood there with his mouth agape. Just what in the hell had the Order of Lorelei been teaching its leaders in secret over the years?

Ion could only smile quietly while the others had much more success in expressing their disbelief. Questions were raised, but rather than answer any of them, Ion instead gently passed Mieu off to Guy, silently hoping that the blue cheagle would help improve Guy’s mental state, if only by a fraction. He didn’t particularly like watching the knight deteriorate the past few days, and silently prayed that, by the end, Guy wouldn’t be completely broken. Ion then approached the wall, and pressed his hand up against the smooth, marble surface. “Miiraad do paaz gein, Zu'u faan voknau hi wah bex wah zey,1” 

A large, green spell glyph appeared beneath his palm and spread out across the wall. A small slot opened up in the shape of the Order’s religious symbol. He removed his hand and gently pulled the holy amulet from around his neck before placing it within the slot. The amulet disappeared, and a doorway became visible. The magic seal surrounding that door dissipated, allowing the doorway to open, revealing a long, narrow, dark tunnel that descended deeply into the ground.

Ion felt faint, swaying in his steps before Anise had to catch him. “Oh... I forget how much that takes out of me...” He shook his head, still feeling quite dizzy.

“You… just used magic!” Anise stared at him incredulously. “I thought humans couldn’t _do_ magic!”

“And you spoke fluent Dovah’mir.” Jade raised his brows. “Even if you are a godling reincarnated, such feats should be impossible. Humans have been cut off from mana for so long, channeling it is unheard of.”

“The various Divines of the Order of Lorelei have been blessed with the Gift of Magic ever since Yulia’s time, even after the worlds became split. However, using magic takes quite a bit of a toll on the body, so Divines rarely, if ever, use it...” Ion laughed weakly. “We were tasked with keeping Yulia’s teachings alive, even in a world that forgot her very existence. As such, we were also entrusted with tending to her tomb. That was how the Order was originally established.”

 _‘Eskhal…’_ Sylph closed her eyes and bowed her head.

As Ion spoke of Yulia, fragments of fuzzy, distant memory came to Luke’s mind and he winced, bringing a hand up to his head. Yulia… a lake surrounded by white flowers, and Lorelei was there with her. She was smiling... It looked like a happy memory, but it felt bittersweet and left impressions of loneliness.

“Are you alright?”

Luke blinked and found Yulia to be staring him. His eyes widened and he took a step back away from her, feeling his heart start to race. That… wasn’t right. Yulia’s been dead for far, far longer than he’s even been alive. How could she be-

“You’re crying.”

Feelings of guilt and anguish, feelings that were _not his own_ came flooding up to the surface and felt so strong he nearly collapsed. His vision started to blur and his thoughts became clouded. Had it always been such a chore to try and think straight?

“Luke!”

Everything became clear again. Yulia turned into Tear, and the rest of their party stood behind her, looking equally as concerned as she did. Those feelings rescinded and the memories faded, leaving him winded and drained. That was completely different than when Lorelei tried to interfere with him in the past. It had felt like his very consciousness was starting to turn into someone else’s.

“Luke, are you alright?” Tear asked again, with more force.

“I-... Y-yeah, I think so…” He cringed at how weak his voice sounded. “I, uh… You look a _lot_ like Yulia… I think Lorelei’s memories leaked into me. I’m really not sure how to describe what just…”

“That would make sense. We are in very close proximity to your original source.” Jade observed somewhat casually. “Were those memories of anything important?” Luke shook his head. “A shame. How are you feeling now?”

“I’m okay. I mean, I feel a little disoriented, but I’m okay.” Though his shaking hands betrayed his words. That had completely rekindled the fear of walking towards his own demise. They were so, so close now- he likely only had minutes left. He turned his sights towards Guy, seeking what little comfort he could draw upon from his mate, but the haunted look in his eyes did little to settle Luke’s unease. Quietly, Luke brought a hand up to rub the tears off of his face before taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. They couldn’t stop now, they had to keep going. “Let’s move.”

One by one they all filed into the tunnel, and once fully inside, the doorway sealed off behind them. Thankfully they had Rem and Efreet with them, the two gods shedding light and illuminating the pathway before them. Meryl wrinkled her nose the further they moved into the tunnel, the smell musty and quite unpleasant- but at the same time, breathable compared to outside. There was no miasma in the air here... Did that mean the whole tomb had no miasma in it either?

“Yulia’s tomb... I wonder what it is like.” Tear thought aloud as Ion weakly laughed, his arm draped over Anise’s shoulder for some support.

“I’m sorry to tell you that I’ve never been inside. I can break the Yulian seal on the first doorway, but I don’t have the power to overcome the gauntlet that guards her.” he replied. “And unfortunately, this place is kept under the highest secret, so there’s no records of what the inside looks like.”

“It’s probably in ruins if it’s been sealed off for hundreds of thousands of years.” Peony noted, as several of the gods then began to chime off. Jade chuckled slightly in response, but didn’t say much further, which only caused Peony to furrow his brow. “Jade?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, really. Just some banter between Rem and Sylph.” 

“I swear, it’s still not any fair that we don’t even get to see or hear them.” Anise huffed. “I hate being left out on over half the conversation.”

“I think we all do.” Meryl dryly chuckled.

“Well, you’re not missing out on much. Even with us, they’re very secretive and careful with their words.” Jade supplied.

The conversation was kept going, filled with mostly small talk in an attempt to keep the mood light. Guy couldn’t bring himself to expend the energy to try and listen, or keep up with it. Instead, he busied his hands with gently petting Mieu- who was ever grateful to be receiving those pets. He did glance up and see that Luke was keeping close to him. Gods, why couldn’t the two of them have just drowned back there in the ocean? Why were they even bothering with this? 

He felt a hand tug at his sleeve and it derailed his rather morbid train of thought. Looking down, he found that Luke was attempting to get a hold of his hand. Guy shifted Mieu into the crook of one arm before obliging, fingers interlocking with fingers as Luke’s warmth radiated into his palm. It was soothing, and at the same time heartbreaking because even with this contact, Luke was still shaking.

There were no words that could be said to ease him, no sentiments to be expressed that could change this inevitable outcome, so Guy did what he could and gently rubbed his thumb against the back of Luke’s hand in small circles. The redhead’s weary eyes met his, and the best that Guy could do was offer him a tired, weak smile.

 

The narrow tunnel spanned for what felt like miles, bringing them deeper and deeper into the isle of Hod. It finally emptied into a large, dim, stone room, and they all entered slowly, looking around for any signs of traps or trials. Anise, unfortunately, stepped on a pressure tile that sank into the ground. Immediately, unsettling hum filled the room as two large, menacing figures roared to life from the shadows. Ancient stone golems stood tall, their eyes reddened and locked onto the intruders. The group took several steps back, bracing themselves for a fight, but Jade placed a hand onto Tear’s shoulder and urged her forwards.

“Sing,” he commanded.

“-But!” Tear protested.

“Sing.” He pushed her forwards. Tear watched with fear in her eyes as these two, monstrous sized golems marched towards her, all of her instincts telling her to flee. She hesitated as they drew near, but she could hear music in her ears; a sweet, peaceful tune- and she knew what to sing. With a deep inhale she sang out a soft melody that caused the golems to stop, their reddened eyes turning blue as their heads moved back and forth in tempo with the music. While they were distracted, Jade ushered the rest of the group to silently move to the other side of the room where they could get away.

"Are we just going to leave Tear?" Anise whispered quietly once they were into the next hall, looking back toward where they'd come from. Jade turned to glance back at Tear who was looking at him with some desperation on her face. Was he _really_ just going to leave her here singing?! To her relief, he motioned for her to come along, but slowly- so the princess started to step towards the tunnel, her song filling the entirety of the room with a haunting echo. The golems followed after her, still pleasantly enjoying the song, until they could not follow as she had entered into the tunnel. The moment Tear stopped singing, the swapped back to their reddened rage, ready to smash the tunnel until Gnome forced a thick slab of stone down on top of them, effectively crushing them.

Tear winced, but, she was glad that everyone had gotten through there okay. “I really thought you were going to just leave me there...” she said with a bit of a frown on her face.

“Of course not. We still need your blood after all.” None of them were sure if Jade was trying to tell a joke, but if that was the case, it was certainly in poor taste. Luke shot Tear an understanding look, but motioned for them all to press forwards.

“What the heck were those things anyways?” Anise asked as Ion went into thought.

“I think those were golems, but I can’t be too sure.”

“Golems?” Meryl blinked. “...There have been a few legends about those things, but I never expected them to be stone. The stories I heard were that they were made from clay or were mechanical.”

“It’s... an ancient elven magic that’s strictly forbidden now.” Tear bowed her head a bit. “The body of the golem can be made from anything, it’s the soul that’s important. It’s usually taken from a person and forced into a new shape. It used to be used on slaves that had proven themselves loyal to their masters.” 

“That’s... so those two creatures just now were once mortals like us?” Meryl asked, slightly horrified as Tear nodded.

“Most likely. This was before blood magic was deemed taboo. They were probably a few of Yulia’s personal guard.”

“Those were dark times.” Jade spoke up. “I wasn’t alive in Yulia’s time, but I do remember the prominence of blood magic back when I was younger. Many people died back then.”

"So there's no telling if those golems were made from willing elves or if they were forced to?" Anise asked as she helped Ion along, looking over to the others.

"In the case of those golems, it was very likely they were turned of their own free will to honor Yulia by serving her for eternity. However, many who faced being used by blood magic were not given the choice." Jade explained, hoping that was enough to sate the girl's curiosity. She frowned but seemed to take that as enough understanding.

"Magic can be just as much a helping hand as a harmful fist," Peony mused aloud.

"That was quite enlightened, your majesty," Jade replied dryly.

"I _am_ intelligent, you know. It's just too much work sometimes."

That got a scoff from Meryl, the rest of the group chuckled at that, and for a brief moment, they were in good spirits. That came to an end when the tunnel led to their next trial: another giant room, this time one with various crystals of different colours floating all around it in very difficult to reach places. They all wandered in, staring up at the crystals and wondering just what they had to do to continue on. Luckily for them, the gods came into play this time around, each one of them aligning up with their respective colour. They held still for a moment, and then all of them chimed in unison. The crystals illuminated at once, and a door on the far side of the room appeared.

“Well... good thing the gods were with us, huh?” Meryl asked, slightly exasperated as she witnessed this. There would have been no other way to possibly have opened up this room without them.

“How much farther is it? We’ve been walking forever!” Anise whined.

“No one knows, Anise. And you complaining isn’t helping,” Luke snapped, waiting for the gods to come back to him so that he could see again. Jade had gone through the doorway and stood on a pressure plate, allowing the door to remain open which freed up the gods. 

Once that room had been completed, they found themselves standing before what looked suspiciously like a gateway- one that was still intact and not damaged despite the fact that Luke and Asch had lowered the outerlands down safely, thereby deactivating all of the gateways. Before the supposed gateway was a pedestal, with what looked like a closed stone book atop of it. Tear walked up to the pedestal and the stone book opened up, reacting to her very presence. Ah, so this was where she was necessary.

“Blood, huh...?” her voice was a bit shaky. This was technically blood magic... something she once swore to the gods she would never do- and now here they were, demanding that she do this. Life was certainly ironic.

Taking a dagger from her belt, she brought the blade to her palm and sliced it open, pressing her hand against the stone slab that lit up brightly in response. The gateway whirred, mana flowing freely in the room in such concentrations that the air literally sparkled. The chamber they were in came to life, and they could hear as chambers upon chambers of rooms surrounding them in all directions shut off. There was silence after that for a moment, until the far wall began to shift through magic. Another doorway, intricately carved and far more grand than the previous ones, appeared along the wall.

Tear tentatively withdrew her hand from the stone slab, and found that the door remained even without her presence. She quickly healed up her hand with a spell and rejoined with the rest of the group, relief flooding through her that had been all that was necessary. 

“...This is it.” Luke clenched his hands up into fists and grit his teeth. Beyond that doorway was Yulia’s remains, and Lorelei’s prison.

Guy's gaze turned to him sadly.

This was what they had come here to do, what they'd been dreading since learning of what must be done... The knight frowned and fiddled with the ring on his finger. Silence had spread throughout the group, unsure now what to do. Do they just move forward? Do they try to console the red? Beg this not to be? 

It was Meryl who pulled herself together and walked over, a strained smile on her face. "Thank you, Luke. For all of this, but... thank you most for being one of my dearest friends." She swore to herself as she pulled him into a hug that she would do his memory great honor for he had more than earned it.

The hug had taken him by complete surprise, and to Meryl’s dismay, Luke had gone rigid stiff before trying to push her off of him. “-Luke...?” she asked, sounding both disappointed and, well, somewhat offended. Luke backed away a little and shook his head.

“No, don’t... don’t start doing that. Don’t make this any harder than it already is.”

“-But!” she started to protest, but Peony placed a hand onto her shoulder as he shook his head.

“Do as he says.” he spoke softly. Meryl was now trembling, her eyes watering up as she hugged her arms around herself, biting her lower lip. “Meryl...”

Luke winced at her reaction, tried to look elsewhere but everyone seemingly had a horrifically solemn expression on their faces. He then looked to Guy, trying once again to find one last source of comfort before all of this came to an end but, there was that pained, hollow expression still, and Luke felt his stomach drop. “Don’t do this to me, not now-” 

A dragon’s cry echoed through the room loudly and all of them stood alert, grabbing their weapons.

“Who was that?” Peony asked.

“...It sounded like Ginji.” Luke spoke. But... it was the cry of a dying dragon... Shortly afterwards there were loud snarls and the sound of fighting, followed by a very similar cry, this time from Noelle. Luke’s eyes widened as he could hear Asch’s roar. He reached out and grabbed onto Guy’s arm. “Get inside the tomb, NOW!” he ordered, pulling on his human and running towards the tomb. Miasma came spilling into the gateway like room as Asch approached at speed, the former red dragon snarling menacingly.

"Move!" Peony called out as they all followed as quickly as they could to the tomb.

"Can we close the door!?" Tear questioned as they made their way into the tomb’s inner chamber. She turned quickly, looking up to the gods. "Gnome! Please, can you close this entryway?!"

The god had already started moving the doors back by the time Tear was pleading with him, however, these doors were old, and of an ancient magical power that none of them had used since before they were sealed. They were also considerably weakened given the state of the world, their power nowhere near where it should have been. Luke and Jade saw Gnome struggling before both of them slammed up against the doors and tried to help push, utilizing all of their strength. Peony, Meryl, Tear, everyone joined in, and were able to shut the doors just before any of the miasma could pour in- but not before Luke could see Asch emerge into the gateway-like room. 

He could feel his heart breaking into two, seeing just how much of a monster his own brother had turned into…

With the doors closed, Luke’s knees gave out on him and he collapsed to the ground, staring at the door dejectedly. “-Luke!” Tear and Meryl rushed to help him back up. “Are you alright?!” The princess asked as Luke swallowed thickly.

“There is nothing left of Asch in there…” he muttered, horrified. After a moment, he snapped out of his shock and shook his head. “…Noelle and Ginji are… gone. They died trying to buy us time to get here. They died in service, they will be rewarded…” he tried, so very hard, to make the news sound positive, but no one was smiling or relieved to hear that. They were all mourning the loss of two more lives.

“How awful…” Meryl whispered.

Sylph began to chime and Jade provided the translation. “It appears the two of them had been successful in defeating Sync. However, Asch was too much of a challenge for the both of them.”

“Asch was always really strong…” Luke picked himself up off the ground. “I never could beat him in a fair fight.”

“Will Lorelei be able to save him?” Tear asked, her hands clasped together as if she were praying.

“I can only hope…” he spoke softly, before finally turning his attention to the tomb’s inner chamber.

An indoor garden, still completely vibrant and beautiful as if it had been just planted yesterday with streams of crystal clear water running through, very akin to the elven palace. In the center, a large statue of the priestess herself carved out of marble, arms raised as if she were giving a sermon. Tear slowly walked up to the statue and stared at it, feeling a sense of longing yet… inner peace. She finally got to know what the woman looked like- her ancestor.

There was a plaque, carved into the statue itself, with a long prayer and eulogy etched into it in elven, and before that, an urn. Purely simple compared to the majesty that was the tomb itself.

“…So she was cleansed by dragon fire after all.” Tear whispered softly, staring at the urn. “But… I thought her ashes had been scattered… Why are they here?”

“She was beautiful…” Meryl said, still staring up at the statue.

“She was holy.” Luke spoke up as he looked at the statue. Those fuzzy memories became remarkably clear, as if he were there in person, actually watching the scenes unfold. “Lorelei loved her dearly, wanted to make her his goddess, though she was already engaged to another… Lorelei was impressed by her devotion, and although saddened she didn’t return his feelings, he granted her the gift of foresight and prophecy. She became the prophet of the gods.”

"Wow! To think she stayed with a mortal when she could have been with a god. That takes a certain kind of person." Anise said with a nod while her hands settled upon her hips. 

One quick glance around the room, Luke couldn’t locate any trace of the mana crystal containing Lorelei- which should have lit up automatically at his presence given the fact that he himself _was_ Lorelei in a sense. “...Something’s not right,” he said, suddenly on edge. 

Before anyone else could have time to react, sinister cackling filled the air from a voice that raised their hairs on end. “I’m surprised it took you so long to notice.” The flowers wilted and died, the streams turned to mud, and miasma filled the air, swirling around and manifesting into the goddess of toxicity, death, and decay. “My, my, I didn’t expect you to make it this far. How annoying.” She frowned and Luke grit his teeth. 

There was _no_ way out of this room beyond the sealed entrance... did they all just walk blindly into a trap?!

 _‘Cherna!’_ Rem hissed as she assumed her humanoid form.

“How nice to see you too, sister.” Cherna smirked as Rem frowned.

_‘You will pay for the atrocities you have done to this world!’_

The miasmic goddess looked at her, then to everyone else, before she burst out laughing, which deeply unnerved the mortals who all shuffled back a little bit. “Oh, Rem... without Lorelei, you can’t _touch me_ ,” That smirk of hers was gone and her voice became sinister. Luke paled as he started to look around, trying to locate the crystal but panic was making it impossible to concentrate like he needed to. Cherna took notice of his anxiety and laughed. “You have three and a half minutes to find it.” she said, snapping her fingers. She, and the rest of the gods vanished from the room in a whirl of purple smoke, leaving Luke completely in the dark.

“Three and a half minutes?!” Anise gasped, before she then saw miasma rising out from the ground and to fill the air.

"That's not much time!" Ion choked out, covering his mouth and nose with his hands. Considering the energy taken out of him for releasing the seal, he wasn't in the best shape to handle this.

“W-We’re all going to suffocate! Where is it?!” Meryl used the collar of her tunic to cover her own nose.

"Luke, you can hear the frequency of the fonstone, right?" Guy asked, trying to keep his voice down. The others were starting to cough heavily. Mieu squeaked weakly before losing consciousness, the miasma already too much for the small creature to bear. Ion collapsed soon after, and Anise coughed so hard she started to gag. 

“I-I can’t-“ Luke stuttered, trying to force himself to calm down. Everyone was depending on him, there was no room for error now. He took several deep breaths despite the poison that made his throat burn, closing his eyes to try and cut out any further distractions- he had gotten so used to seeing with the help of the gods the past few hours, he had somewhat forgotten how to properly listen to fonic frequencies. 

He had this power… he could still use it.

_‘I am here… Listen to my voice. I am right here.’_

Luke held his hands out and called upon Lorelei’s power to erase the miasma in the air. Everyone, save for Guy, collectively gasped for fresh air, many of them falling to their knees as their coughing fits continued until the irritation in their throats lessened.

“Oh thank heavens-!” Meryl wheezed, still coughing a bit as her stung and burned. “Good job Luke.”

“Yeah, we’re saved!” Anise sighed, falling to her knees to check on Ion’s condition.

Jade didn’t say anything as he caught his breath, merely, he stared at the red with a serious expression on his face. The two remaining dragons exchanged glances for a moment, somehow conveying to one another mutual respect and goodbyes without the need for actual words.

The redhead faced the statue, seeing the brilliant shimmer of gold hidden within. Ah, so that’s where he’d been. He slowly approached and pressed his hands up against it. Warm, comforting, the hum familiar and reminiscent of his brother. A feeling of family came about and he smiled sadly.

“…Luke?” Tear asked, concern in her voice.

He sliced his palm open with a claw, smearing the blood against the pristine white marble of the statue. “Zu'u gahviik dimaar wah hi.2” 

It dawned on everyone there what was about to take place, and Peony had to physically restrain Meryl to keep her from running over to his side. 

“LUKE STOP!” she screamed. 

The statue however cracked apart, an intense golden light shining through and filling the entire room up. The crystal shattered, and a harmonious melody filled the air as Luke’s life was stolen away from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> 1 Doorway to the fair one, I command you to open the way  
> 2 I give myself entirely to you


	53. Of Miasma and Mana

Time became distorted again.

Slowly, oh so agonizingly slowly, Luke collapsed down onto the ground. What should have been a moment of celebration for surviving Cherna’s trap became an unspeakable tragedy. There, before the crumbling grand statue of Yulia Jue, the redhead laid- unmoving and lifeless.

That sweet music that had filled the air quieted, leaving the inner chamber in a horrified silence. 

Guy stood perfectly still, eyes wide. Beads of cold sweat trickled down the sides of his face, and his throat tightened considerably, making it almost impossible to breathe. His chest constricted while stomach twisted painfully up into knots, and his heart started to race. All he could hear was his pulse- so loudly beating in his ears, it made his head hurt. 

There had been no proper goodbye, no final farewell. Reality stung him to his very core as he realized that Luke would never move again, no matter how much he stared at his body and wished for it.

“No… No, Luke…!” It was Meryl who broke that dreadful silence, tears spilling over her cheeks. Peony quietly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a desperately needed hug. 

Anise choked back a sob as she buried her face into Ion’s tabard, the young girl clutching onto the divine tightly. Ion too looked deeply saddened by the loss of their friend. All of them had known this was coming for several days now, but… it didn’t lessen the pain or make the loss any easier to bear.

Unconsciously, Guy dropped his arms and subsequently the cheagle he had been holding. He took several steps forwards, his hands going numb as bile rose up in the back of his throat. Colour was already beginning to drain from Luke’s face, and even from here, he could feel Luke’s radiant warmth waning by the second. The knight broke out into a run and stopped just short of Luke’s body, dropping down to his knees. He cradled the deceased redhead to his frame with a delicate hold and _wept_ uncontrollably. Wherever Lorelei was, Guy could not even begin to care. All he could focus on was that Luke was gone.

He came to press his forehead into Luke's hair, realizing his fears were true- his warmth was slipping away. Luke had always so full of life... Already the knight was aching for his companionship, whether it be in the form of those broad grins or huffing pouts. Hell, he would have taken his anger and punches that came with it. Anything that was Luke was welcome and Guy desperately sought for his presence. _Come back. Come back… Please, just come back…!_

He was very, very tempted to stab himself with his own blade as he drowned in grief. Life was just not worth living anymore, not without Luke.

Tear was the first to acknowledge the presence of Lorelei, seeing the golden orb that floated where the statue had been. That glow was so… soothing, and familiar, it reminded her of Luke… He was in there, somewhere. “Lorelei…” she spoke, her voice strained and quivering. The golden orb chimed sweetly at her in response.

Jade brought his hands around behind his back and gazed on at the god, mouth pressed into a firm line. Ion and Sync had been identical to one another, but the two of them shared nearly no physical traits with their goddess. Luke and Asch on the other hand… The two of them had been perfect copies of Lorelei, save for their eyes- Lorelei’s were golden. The blue found himself now grateful that the others weren’t able to discern the gods as they truly were. Seeing Lorelei would only be insult to grievous injury at this point.

_‘You certainly gave my little Yolus a hard time.’_ Lorelei directed at Jade.

“Is now really the time for such a discussion?” He couldn’t bring himself to even attempt his usual sarcastic mirth. “Cherna needs to be stopped.”

Lorelei glanced over his shoulder at the distraught knight, watching him sadly for a few moments. _‘Yes… I know where she went, but I will need your help in stopping her. My power has been severely weakened, and I fear that we won’t receive help from Rem and the others- I’ve lost track of their presences.’_

“Of course. Everyone,” Jade focused his attention to the group, “stand strong. It’s time for us to fight. We can’t stop here.”

They looked so tired, so weary. The thought of having to continue on was near unbearable, but… 

Meryl rubbed at her reddened, puffy eyes and straightened herself out. With a shaky exhale, she removed herself from Peony’s embrace and drew her bow as a fierce look of anger and determination came to her face. “Daath, Grand Chokmah, Baticul, Yulia City, Akzeriuth, Hod… Noelle, Ginji, Asch, Sync, Luke… I don’t care if she is a goddess. I’m going to kill her.” 

“Yeah…!” Anise sniffled before pulling out her mace. “She’ll pay for everything she’s done!”

_‘I thank you, everyone. Prepare!’_

There was a bright flash of light that enveloped the room completely, and when it had faded, the group found themselves somewhere unfamiliar. They were no longer in the tomb’s inner chamber, and instead, found themselves atop a large marble plateau that overlooked the city. Lorelei chimed once more, the thick miasma surrounding them dissipating into golden dust that scattered in the winds.

“There you are…” Cherna’s voice echoed across the open expanse. “It’s been a _long_ time, brother. How have you been? Did you enjoy playing the role of a couple of guardians for a few thousand years? It was _so_ much fun twisting that one up until nothing of his soul remained.” She manifested before them a short distance away, floating off of the ground.

“You bitch!” Anise screamed at her, Ion forcibly holding her back. “This is all your fault! Everyone’s dead because of you!”

“Your anger and misery is delicious, girl,” the goddess licked her teeth. “Seethe some more for me, I’m still so hungry.”

_‘You were always a glutton,’_ Lorelei spat. _‘What did you do to the others? Where are they?’_

“You mean your precious pantheon?” Cherna smirked deviously. “I broke them down and absorbed them. And it was so easy, too; it’s almost laughable. I’d been steadily eroding their elements away from them for some time now, they were no real match for me. Well, Rem gave me a little trouble, but it was no matter. Besides,” she wrapped her arms around herself, “seven against one is hardly sporting,” she pouted.

“You… _absorbed_ them…?!” Tear gasped and a nasty look came to the goddess’ face.

“I am _stronger_ than ever, Lorelei, and I will make you regret ever putting me in that damn cage!” she shouted, the ground around her cracking dramatically as miasmic mud began to seep out.

Guy was forced to let go of Luke as the ground beneath him began to break apart. He staggered backwards to his feet and watched Luke sink into the ground. While Lorelei and the others engaged with the goddess and began their fight, Guy paid no attention. Instead, he tried desperately to grab at Luke and pull his body out of the crack. 

Meryl pelted Cherna with arrows while Peony and Anise charged her directly. Tear and Jade kept their distance, weaving mana into powerful spells that they launched her way without any mercy. Ion quickly retreated and grabbed Mieu in the process, ducking back behind some pillars along the side of the plateau to keep safe. 

The ground only continued to break away as the fighting drew on, and Luke sank deeper into the crevice. The knight could no longer keep his grasp, and the redhead fell beyond his reach, disappearing into the darkness below.

Grief and anguish turned into rage. White hot and searing, it spread throughout his body and made him see red. Cherna’s voice taunted at him in the distance, her very existence was an insult to him. Oh, he was going to take out all his anger and hurt on that _miserable_ creature! He grabbed at his blade and drew it from its sheath, turning to face the fray.

"You have no power to fight me, Lorelei! I will use everything at my disposal to torture you for every day I was locked away!" Cherna yelled angrily as she avoided an attack from the god.

Meryl didn’t give up pursuit and continued to shoot arrow after arrow. Always, narrowly, she missed, but she was keeping the goddess on the move which didn’t allow her any time to ready attacks. Peony signaled for Anise to draw her attention while he diverted paths. He rounded about and intercepted Cherna, moving to slash at her with the daggers he wielded. This caught Cherna by surprise, but unfortunately for the emperor, his blades only fazed through her.

“Foolish worm!” She threw her hand out towards him. The miasma in the air that surrounded her seemed to cluster into groups before compacting tightly, crystallizing into spikes. Those spikes began to fly through the air in just about every direction. They rained down hard into the ground, exploding into even more shards. Lorelei did what he could to destroy as many as possible, but he was not fast enough to stop all of them. They were incredibly difficult to dodge, Anise having to jump and roll to avoid one while Tear and Jade constructed barriers. Peony was not as lucky as one nicked the back of his shoulder, slicing through his clothing and armor to scratch at his skin. Slowly, the purple of the concentrated miasma began to creep from the wound.

“Peony!” Guy cried out as the emperor grabbed at his shoulder.

“It’s nothing, I’m fine!” Peony tried to assure him, but the knight was already moving to stand in front of him, his blade raised towards the goddess.

Cherna’s eyes immediately moved to look at the hilt of Guy’s blade. She had sensed it, somewhere, felt its familiar presence in her midst. “Sigmund…” she whispered in a shocked awe, giving Lorelei just enough time to launch another attack. She reeled back, shrieking, as Lorelei attempted to purify her. She groaned loudly as her shoulders heaved, but she looked back to that sword and the man holding it. “You... You have Sigmund’s sword! Tell me,” she disappeared in a puff of smoke, narrowly avoiding a slew of arrows that Meryl had shot only to reappear directly behind Guy, “are you related to him?”

“-GUY!” Meryl shouted, raising her bow and readying another arrow.

“One move and I break his neck, girl.” Cherna warned, her hands firmly grasped around his throat. Guy closed his eyes and gasped, trying so very hard to breathe while such a tight pressure was applied to his windpipe. 

_‘Don’t hurt him!’_ Lorelei begged, keeping his distance. The look of worry and terror on his face had Cherna internally celebrating.

“Well, well, _you_ certainly got over Yulia fast enough.” She squeezed Guy’s throat and watched his skin intently for a moment. It remained in tact- peachy and healthy. There was no sign of disease or rot to be seen, and her eyes lit up. “I knew it, you are related to Sigmund!” she sounded positively delighted.

“W-who is…?” Guy rasped, and Cherna released her grip on his throat only to wrap her arms around his body. Instantly Guy went rigid stiff and his mind started to race. The creature holding onto him may have been made out of miasma but she still took the form of a woman. This was _quickly_ reestablishing his fear of the female gender.

“Sigmund was my devoted, my faithful, my precious little elven sinner and the leader of my death cult.” Tear blinked, looking at Guy with wide eyes. He had elven heritage…? “He loved Yulia dearly, was originally going to be the one to marry her, until that pesky little human, Freyer, got in the way. It was an arranged marriage for ‘peace between the races’. How laughable.” She rolled her eyes. “Sigmund used to pray to me for guidance, asked me to strike that sniveling little human down for him. I told him to _kill_ Yulia instead for daring to go with another man, and he did!” she cackled. “He struck Lorelei’s _precious_ prophet down in cold blood and pinned it on the human! It was so convincing even the other gods believed the human did it!” she laughed, and laughed. Her hand dropped down and pulled the blade away from Guy’s grasp. “I made him this blade as a reward and blessed him with the ability to wield it… a blade of death and destruction, infused with my power to spread mayhem across the world… And now it’s in your hands…”

_‘Y-you… told him to kill her…?’_ Lorelei stared at her in disbelief. _‘She was an innoce-’_

“No! She made _you_ happy! And that was something I could not tolerate.” she snapped back at him, her arms now squeezing Guy tightly. “You were always the favorite, the literal ‘golden child’ that was adored by the family while I was cast aside and ignored! Repulsive, and ugly- those were the first things I heard when I came into this world! I never _asked_ to be created and treated like that!”

_‘Your actions brought that upon you-’_

“Oh, do not start that with me. You and the others are such fucking hypocrites! You wrongfully banished an entire race and blamed them for actions that were not their own! The both of us _exist_ because the others tried to destroy one another in a bid to rule the world. You have the gall to stand there and judge _me_? I’m only acting to my nature, because let’s face it- war _never_ changes.”

_‘You tried to destroy the world!’_ Lorelei argued back.

“Well how _else_ was I supposed to get any of you to pay attention to me? Take me seriously? Treat me with a shred of respect?! And what do you and the others do? Lock me away to _starve_!” Thunder clapped overhead as a storm began to form, the winds kicking up considerably.

_‘If you continue this, and really do destroy the world, then you will be alone, forever!_

Cherna pressed her lips to Guy’s cheek. “I’ll have this one, and the satisfaction that once again I took your favorite toy away from you.” Tears formed at the corner of Guy’s eyes and he started to tremble. Too much, too much, too much- he couldn’t handle this, not on top of everything else…! 

“You will unhand him!” Meryl demanded, her grip on her bow so tight her knuckles turned white. The miasmic goddess scoffed, running one of her hands down Guy’s torso in such a possessive manner. “I’m warning you...!”

“Or what? You humans have no power against me.” she egged on. Meryl’s hands shook a little before she lowered her bow begrudgingly, though there was the tiniest smirk on her face. Cherna blinked and looked over her shoulder, seeing Jade and Peony coordinating an attack with their weapons. The goddess pushed Guy onto the ground before she dissipated, effectively protecting the knight from their weapons. The sword clattered to the ground loudly.

Lorelei took this chance while the goddess was distracted to cleanse the miasma that surrounded Guy. This enabled his companions to pull him out of there to safety- which is exactly what Meryl did as Tear sung a hymn to heal any possible damage that could have been done to him.

"W-What should we do...? Physical attacks don’t seem to work..." Guy tried to sound confident as he looked to Meryl, but he couldn’t stop shaking. His heart raced a mile a minute and it took every ounce of willpower to keep from throwing up. Cherna had held him, kissed him, wanted to make him _hers_ , and that thought was so entirely disgusting.

“Keep fighting! It’s all we can do to help Lorelei!” Jade yelled, charging the goddess with his spear at hand. The emperor heeded Jade’s instructions, though his arm was beginning to look worse for wear. That purple from the wound was starting to spread, and it was getting painful for Peony to move his arm. 

Tear weaved forth the mana around her and stopped time, hoping to give Jade and Lorelei some form of advantage. Unfortunately for all of them, Cherna was just as equally immune to time magic as the other immortal beings.

The goddess set her sights on Tear and sneered. “Oh, of _course_ you’re Yulia’s descendant. I’ll take great pleasure in killing you!” She raised her hand high above her head, and the ground ruptured up into stalagmites that raced towards the elf. Tear ended the spell and barely dodged the attack, time restarting and leaving the humans disoriented at the sudden change in the battlefield. They were slow to react, so Cherna used this to her advantage.

She disappeared and then quickly reformed high up in the air, ready to rain miasma down over their heads only for Lorelei to slam into her with impressive power. She groaned as she recovered, and an animalistic growl sounded off. Her form compressed into a small purple ball, and the two orbs continued to push up against one another, flying around the air wildly. 

The skies grew dark as the storm overhead became worse and intensified. Purple lightning crackled every few seconds followed by deafening booms of thunder. The ground also shook violently, large portions of the island breaking off and crumbling into the miasmic sea. 

It did not matter how hard Lorelei hit her, how much power the golden god threw at her, Cherna always bounced it back and hit him with something ten times harder.

The tides of battle took a dramatic turn when she hit up against him so hard, Lorelei was smacked down into ground with enough force to cause an actual crater. The golden ball didn’t move, failed to even chime, and Cherna reformed herself just above its glow, an all too sinister smirk on her face.

“What did I tell you, brother?” She reached down and grabbed Lorelei by the collar. “You can’t win, and I am going to tear you apart!”

They were in trouble. They were all in serious trouble if they didn’t do something and fast. Jade quickly scanned their surroundings, recalled the battle thus far and tried to figure out if there was anything of use to them. Lightning flashed and its light glinted off of forged silverite. His eyes were drawn to the discarded blade lying on the ground in the distance. Of course-!

“Guy!” Jade snapped at the blond. “Your blade, it has her power! Use it against her!”

Jade's demand broke Guy's stunned stillness and he looked to the sword in the distance. There was no way he could waste this chance! Sprinting as quickly as his legs could carry him, he snagged the blade and kept his grip tight. The knight rushed at Cherna from behind. Hopefully Lorelei was enough of a distraction... He ducked down low just as he neared her in hopes of staying unnoticed to swing up along her back, careful not to get anywhere close to cutting through to the god on the other side of her form.

The blade didn’t faze through her like practically everything else that tried to touch her- it sliced through her, and deeply. Cherna gasped as her skin had been cut open, miasma oozing out of the wound as if it were blood. She couldn’t force herself to heal, will the wound closed like she normally could and _panic_ set in. She whipped her head around to look at her attacker, her eyes wide and twitchy when she saw him. That boy, the one she wanted… A look out outright betrayal came to her face. He dared to use that sword against her?! Rage filled the goddess as the storm overhead roared into epic proportions. 

Peony grabbed onto Anise and forced her to duck down to avoid a rock colliding into her head. Meryl held onto Tear tightly as the winds threatened to blow them all away. Ion clutched Mieu close to his chest and ran as the pillars started to topple over. A vortex started to form as the clouds funneled. If it touched down, the entire island would be destroyed. 

Guy swung his blade again, cutting into her torso. Over and over, he heaved that damned blade at her and successfully landed his hits. Cherna had let go of Lorelei and reeled back, trying to get away from the blond but he did not let up. He could _win_ , and damn it all, he was _going_ to!

Lorelei picked himself up and watched as Guy fearlessly fought against her. Now was his chance! 

Guy poised his blade and thrust it forwards, spearing her straight through the chest. She let out a strained cry as she spit up miasma, and the storm calmed, the funneled clouds losing their form. The knight let go of the hilt as the blade snapped in half, the pointed end still buried deep within her. She stood still, unable to move, when Lorelei appeared before her looking stern and angry. There was fear in her eyes as he removed the broken blade and placed his own hand within the wound. From there, he began the painful process of purifying her entirely. 

Cherna screamed in _agony_ , her wails of pain echoing across the broken, desecrated landscape. Tear and the others had to cover their ears as her anguish could be _felt_ in their bones. It made Anise’s teeth hurt, and pounded into Guy’s skull relentlessly. But they could see the change. Slowly, it radiated from her chest into the rest of her. The miasma’s corruption eroded away into golden dust. Her sickly complexion cleared and raven hair turned red. 

She was pure.

Immediately she turned transparent and her body started to break apart. Now cleansed, she was the same as Lorelei, a manifestation of pure mana, and the both of them could not exist simultaneously like this. She had needed that hatred and corruption to keep her form. Weakly, she expended what little energy remaining to laugh dryly. _‘If only you had just done this 300,000 years ago… It would have been so much kinder.’_

_‘I am sorry…’_ Lorelei apologized, but the dying goddess shook her head.

_‘Don’t lie to me, not now… At least there’ll finally be an end to this madness.’_ she continued to laugh, tilting her head back as she disappeared completely.


	54. Dragons

The silence after that was deafening, as the whole group stood there, unsure of what to do next. They had just successfully killed a goddess… They stopped Cherna from completely destroying everything! What did one _do_ after such a feat?

Peony grunted loudly before collapsing to his knees, dropping his daggers so he could grasp at his afflicted shoulder. Meryl rushed to check him over, finding that the wound had festered, the skin in the affected area a very unhealthy colour as his veins darkened.

“T-Tear!” she called in a panic, the elven princess hurrying over to take a look at the damage. “Can you heal him?!”

“That is beyond salvage.” Jade said, eyeing it from afar.

“No-!” Meryl cried out, but Peony snorted.

“It’s an arm. I’ll live without it.” he grunted.

"We can take it now?" Guy tried suggesting but Meryl shook her head.

"It would be painful and possibly cause more harm." she argued as she looked at the injury.

"We might not have the time to get him to proper care..." Ion frowned, petting Mieu gently. The cheagle squeaked softly, ears drooping upon seeing the extent of the damage.

“That looks really bad, mieu! It’ll have to come off to keep the infection from spreading!”

"I'd rather we just cut it off now and prevent that infection from spreading. We don't need anyone else dying today," Peony muttered.

"Tear, can you heal it as soon as it's off?" Guy asked.

“Loss of limb would be… tricky.” Tear admitted, eyeing the wound that refused to outright heal despite her magic. With miasma being the infective agent, there was just too much that could go wrong if they were to try and take it off right now. “I can’t say that I’d be able to heal it, I don’t know if I could, and I don’t want to promise something I can’t keep.”

“Understandable. Perhaps we could request the help of Lorelei?” Jade turned to look back at the deity. 

Lorelei paid him no heed however, and instead closed his eyes and tried to feel for the others within him. They were there, somewhere… he just had to find them and give them shape. He stabbed his hands into his own chest and forcibly pulled out a large quantity of mana. As a combination of all of their resonances, Lorelei channeled the mana through each frequency, and continued to flow more mana into each of them until the other gods regained their shape and consciousness. It was a little time consuming, but it was necessary. There was work to be done still.

_‘Huh…? I… what?’_ Sylph looked around confusedly. When her sights landed upon Lorelei she gasped and hugged onto him tightly. _‘Lorelei! You’re back!’_

_‘You were sorely missed!’_ Undine wiped the tears away from her eyes.

_‘Where is she?’_ Rem looked around with worry.

_‘Calm yourself, Rem. Be at ease, she is gone. This group was instrumental to helping me defeat her, particularly Count Gardios.’_ Lorelei smiled fondly at the blond. _‘Come, there is much to do now that this era of destruction is over.’_

The various deities vanished from the plateau and Anise frowned. “What the heck? They’re not even going to bother helping after everything we just did?!”

“No, that’s not it…” Jade trailed off, wandering over to the edge of the platform that overlooked the city. Lorelei was floating above the others, channeling his power into each and every one of them. Sylph extended her arms out, and all of the miasma in the air vanished in an instant. Undine leapt into the sea, the mud reverting back into water as it spread across the horizon. The ground shook once again, but rather than falling apart, instead massive chunks of land rose out of the sea- not just the land that had collapsed from Hod, but entire islands that had sunk into the miasma itself!

Grass, and flowers started to sprout from the earth, while Lorelei and Sylph teamed up together to cleanse the sky itself. It was still dark, so Shadow pulled down the veil as Rem brought back the sun. The blue sky was perfectly clear, the breeze pleasant and crisp. Waves crashed up against the cliffside resulting in a sea spray that filled the air with a delightfully salty smell, and the sun shone brightly overhead. All that had been brought on by Cherna's ire and desperation for vengeance was wiped away as if it had never happened in the first place. 

"Unbelievable..." Guy murmured in a stunned awe. All of this was just... amazing.

They really had done it. They were saved.

The gods then reappeared before them, carrying this… presence to them that the humans had never really experienced before. Ion, Tear, Meryl- they all found themselves bowing down to the majesty they held, despite not being able to actually see them. 

Lorelei came forwards, and took a moment to examine the wound on Peony’s shoulder. There was a small flash of golden light, and the miasma itself had been cleared away. The arm still looked badly damaged and diseased regardless.

“Lorelei has purified the miasma, but, the arm still has to come off.” Jade said, picking up the emperor’s daggers.

“Oh joy,” Peony said sarcastically as Jade placed one of the blades against his infected shoulder.

“Lorelei has also stated that he has numbed the area so you won’t feel a thing.” Jade said before he started to carve the blade into the flesh. Meryl and Anise forced themselves to look away- that was something they did not want to see. Jade cut all the way down to the bone, on both sides of the arm, dislocated the shoulder, and then popped it out of the joint entirely. The arm came clean off, which Efreet took to burning it before cauterizing the wound. Peony grunted loudly as the flesh sizzled, but Undine soothed the wound with cool water afterwards.

“T-Thanks...” The emperor weakly laughed as Meryl wrapped her coat around her husband.

“Are you alright?!” She asked with worry as the man nodded.

“Still alive, aren’t I? Though I have to say, paperwork will be pretty tough now.” Meryl shook her head with an all too heavy sigh.

“Making jokes at a time like this…”

_‘Jade,’_ Lorelei spoke up and the blue dragon looked over to him. _‘You have gone above and beyond the call of duty, despite your past… transgressions.’_ Jade’s grip around the dagger tightened. _‘You have more than earned your place at our side in the fon belt.’_

Jade looked to the gods, and then to the group, before he sighed heavily and set the daggers down. “I am tired.” he said with a nod. There had been an ache in his bones that he had carried with him for a number of years now. He was ready to rest. Lorelei smiled at him, extending his hand out before waving it across the air. 

“Jade, what are-“ Tear spoke up, but was silenced when she noticed that he was turning transparent. “Jade?!”

“Thirty five thousand years is a long enough life,” Jade said, looking back over to the emperor. “It has been an honor serving you, your majesty.”

"It's an honor to have been your friend." Peony nodded. "Even if you take my arm and leave!" 

 

"Jade!" Guy called out as he stepped forwards. "Enjoy it. And thank you..." 

Jade gave a sincere smile back to all of them before he disappeared completely.

The group now felt entirely too small without any of their dragons present, and they were left once more in an awkward quiet. Lorelei, however, beckoned Guy forwards with soft chimes. The god knew the human disliked him, hated him for taking the one most important to him away. But for now, just right now, the god needed the human to cooperate so he could properly reward him for his valiant efforts.

The knight turned, making his way toward the orb that was Lorelei slowly. He felt somewhat humbled as he stood before him, unsure what to even do or say since he couldn't understand the god anyway, not like this. "I... don't really know what to do here…” he admitted awkwardly, unable to hide the tired drain in his voice. “I should thank you for restoring the world, and for helping Peony. And... I guess I should apologize for what Sigmund did in the past.”

_‘That is not your burden to bear,’_ The god shook his head, though he knew that his words could not reach Guy’s ears. Not yet, anyways. 

Lorelei paused for a moment, looking between the other gods who all nodded to one another. This human has earned this, has more than proved his worth, his devotion, his loyalty. This human helped put a stop to Cherna’s wicked machinations, and save the world. This human dragged humanity’s reputation out of the mud with his bare hands and raised it above everything else, and showed them that humans were worth saving. This human had proved them wrong, and that was nothing to joke about.

This was not even close to the reward that Guy truly deserved after everything that he had done, but it was the absolute best that they could do for him with their combined power. Hopefully, it would be a reward that Guy would find suitable.

Lorelei backed away just a little bit as the other gods moved to encircle the man. The knight shifted uneasily, taking a slight step back. The idea of being surrounded by all powerful beings was unsettling, mostly because he couldn't even tell what was happening! All of the gods then chimed at once, the tone so perfectly harmonious it drowned out all other sound and grew louder. 

Magic swelled up around him and engulfed him in what felt... vaguely warm. A glyph, a _powerful_ spell glyph appeared at the knight’s feet, glowing so brightly everything became engulfed in a golden light for several long moments. Then the glow died down, and no longer were the gods just orbs of energy but full beings, each more magical in their appearance than the last. 

 

His gaze whipped around from one to another, mouth slightly parted in stunned awe. "I-" He couldn't even find words. As his gaze danced from god to god only to still when his attention fell upon Lorelei. Lorelei smiled warmly at the man, a fondness to it that surely hit a nerve. Guy's excitement twisted into hurt. Even with this, he still couldn't see Luke.

Lorelei raised up his arm once more, a small flame appearing in his hand. _‘Take care of him.’_ The small flame vanished before it reappeared just before Guy. It flickered brightly, and then Luke took form from it, gently floating down into Guy’s arms.

Warm. Full of colour. Alive.

After that the glyph disappeared, and the gods vanished from the area, without a trace.

"Luke-!" Guy gasped, holding him in his arms as snug to his form as he could. He was alive...! Alive! "Lorelei, th-" But they were gone before he even had the chance to thank him. Tears stung at the knight’s eyes as he cradled Luke's body to him while lowering down to sit on the ground. 

Victory no longer felt hollow. Life was worth living again

The others were quick to rush in and express their own joy.

“Don’t crowd them-!” Tear scolded, pulling Anise and Meryl back away from Guy just a little bit to give them some room. All of them watched Luke though, seeing his chest rising and falling. Meryl sniffled as she brought a finger up to wipe the tears from her eyes. She had truly thought that Luke would be gone forever. They all did.

Luke’s entire hand twitched. They stood there with baited breath and continued to watch for any further movements. Heavy lids slowly opened up to reveal tired emerald eyes that stared out blankly to the world. Things were dark… his hearing muffled and his senses dazed. There was something… someone…

“..ke… Lu.k… Luke!” his eyes finally moved to look over at the person calling his name. Meryl…? His vision was clearing up slowly, and the empress’ appearance came into view. She looked so… _relieved_. “Oh thank the gods! You’re okay!” She was crying. Luke looked at her confusedly, and shifted his glance to all the others who looked just as relieved as she did.

“W…what happened…?” he rasped, moving his hand and looking at it. He was alive…? How was that possible..? What more, he could perfectly see, too! Upon closer inspection, his hair was back to its long length and he was not wearing the armor he had been prior to his death. Thankfully he still had the locket and his ring.

“We did it…! We saved the world, and Lorelei brought you back…!” Meryl laughed as tears continued to stream down her face.

Luke blinked, and then took notice that he was being held by someone. He looked over, seeing Guy’s form- but that was not Guy’s energy. Slowly, Luke sat upright and stared at Guy for several moments. An excited grin came to his face. “You’re a dragon, Guy.”

“Guy’s a.. what?” Anise asked, utterly skeptically as she looked from Luke to the blond. “That doesn’t make any sense!”

“It does sound rather fantastic, I agree.” Ion said with a small nod. “Although, given the events that preceded it, I think it’s safe to say that anything is possible at this point, given that the gods were directly involved and all.”

“It’s true! I can sense it!” Mieu piped up from his perch in Ion’s arms.

Guy stared at Luke for a good, long moment. "A dragon?" he scoffed and lowered his hands into his lap. "That’s ridiculous. Why would Lorelei- I mean, sure, I was able to see and hear them after that spell glyph, but they wouldn’t have made me into a dragon… would they?"

“I have no clue- I was dead,” Luke muttered as he pulled himself up to his feet and just circled around Guy slowly, studying his every last detail. “But no, you’re… you’re definitely a dragon, I can see it.”

“Is there some way to prove it?” Tear asked, now _very_ curious by all of this.

“Hi vis mindoraan enook rot Zu'u los sahgaat nu, nis hi?1” the redhead watched as a glimmer of understanding came to the blond’s eyes. Yes, that was a good sign- Luke would have had such a hard time teaching Guy the tongue otherwise. “Hiiv tir hin haal,2” Luke instructed, grabbing hold of his hand and pulling it towards him. Luke waved his fingers over the knight’s hand and watched as bronze scales and black claws appeared into view.

Guy stared down at his hand with wide eyes. He was a _dragon_. "I... am a dragon." he said, confidence and excitement tinging his words. Anise gasped loudly, Meryl and Tear leaned in to get a better look. 

“You have to transform now. I wanna see what you look like!” Luke tried so hard not to sound eager.

“Oh boy, that’ll be something.” Peony laughed, causing Luke to look over.

“Yes it wi-… what happened to you?”

“What? It’s just a flesh wound.” The man shrugged. Luke then looked around and noticed the lack of the Jade’s presence.

“Where’s the old man?”

Tear smiled a little sadly at Luke's question. "Jade was given peace and was taken to the fon belt."

Jade… was gone? Like, _gone_ gone? For some reason Luke found himself positively winded by this revelation. He had never expected Jade to be gone, ever. The damn blue could have at least waited until Luke had been revived before being whisked off to the promised land. Hopefully Noelle and Ginji would be there too… he did remember their heroic sacrifices. And Asch… When Lorelei had absorbed Cherna, he had reclaimed that lost piece of his soul. He was so glad that Asch would never have to suffer again.

"He seemed happy to go." Anise added. Even if he got on her nerves, she'd come to like the old dragon. 

"He earned it." Ion added with a more sincere smile on his face.

"Luke, how do I do this?" Guy called, unsure just what to do to achieve a shift of form. Guy’s comment caught his attention and Luke looked back over at the blond who looked far too happy for his own good. The redhead had to stifle his laughter and shook his head, crossing his arms. 

“Well not like that, that’s for certain. You need to concentrate- _feel_ your other form, sense the mana within you.” he instructed as Tear cleared her throat.

“You do realize that as a human, Guy has no idea what mana feels like, right?” she asked as Luke snorted.

“He’ll have to figure it out if he wants to be a dragon.” he grinned rather deviously. “Listen to yourself and act on those instincts. Don’t force it, or you’ll just hurt yourself.”

"Feel my- That makes no sense!" Guy complained, unsure what to even look for in himself. The mana that would drive it? What did _that_ feel like? If Luke hadn't said anything to him, Guy would never have imagined he was a dragon now- he felt no different than he always had. "You're no help." The blond sighed, looking contemplative as he tried to explore himself mentally. Something had to be different now... There had to be more...

"You're cruel to him." Meryl huffed and lightly nudged Luke. "You could at least give him a little more instruction than that."

"Oh, let him go." Peony laughed as he sat on the ground, taking the time to rest now. "This is probably stuff we'd never understand that Guy's going to need to if he wants to do anything."

The man, no, dragon in question was absolutely perplexed as he shut his eyes and tried to just relax. He shouldn't focus on what was different because he didn't know what was different. This all just felt normal, natura. With a slow breath, he let his mind wander, picturing what it looked like whenever the other dragons had shifted forms. Even though that did nothing in terms of explaining, something within his being simply clicked.

It felt almost like drawing on adrenaline for a first strike, except this came from some place within him he couldn't quite recognize, but it felt familiar... Without any warning for either spectator or act, Guy drew on that instinct and found himself standing on four legs with a much higher vantage point than before.

Meryl and Anise both jumped back, the younger girl exclaiming _loudly_ in an impressed awe at Guy’s new appearance. Tear was _stunned_ that a human had truly been blessed like this. And Luke- Luke was slack jawed for a few solid moments of silence as he just took all of it in. His heart skipped a beat as the huge sense of joy and pride swelled within him, threatening to burst. He couldn’t keep that wide grin from spreading across his face even if he wanted to. Peony saw this and laughed pretty hard.

“I think Luke likes it.” he called out.

“Guy you… you look so incredible!” Anise called out as the girl started to circle him.

“Oh the things I am going to do to you…” Luke breathed out in an excited fashion, running over to join Anise in giving the new dragon a very close inspection. Guy was very similar in size to Ginji. His hide was bronze with streaks of teal here and there, very much like Noelle’s, which meant that Guy would have control over the earth element.

Guy was absolutely delighted upon realizing he'd shifted successfully and admired what of himself he could see. He stretched out his wings to see their length and colour, admired his claws, his scales... He was an honest to gods dragon! Laughter bubbled up and he seemingly pawed at the ground as he excitedly moved about, watching as Anise rounded him. He brought his wings in close to his back, watching now as Luke prowled around him to assess his form.

"So you're going to be able to fly?" Anise asked in delight, grinning as she looked up to Guy.

"Probably! I mean, I am a dragon now and I doubt these wings are for show." 

Luke then came back around to look at Guy’s face, motioning for him to lower his head. “Now, change back.”

He hummed and relaxed again, trying to focus on his human form and… nothing happened. "... I'm stuck."

"Stuck?" Luke quirked his brow.

"I... don't know how to turn back into a human."

"Guy, isn't it just the same thing you did before?" Meryl rested her hands on her hips.

"I... guess?" he sighed and lowered himself down to lay on the ground, head on the floor. "So how many thousands of years is it going to take me to figure out how to do everything?"

Luke laughed, shaking his head as he felt slight pity for the new dragon. He walked over to the side of Guy’s head and took a seat next to him, gently patting his scales. “It won’t take you that long to adjust. It might take you a couple centuries or so to figure some things out, but it won’t take you thousands of years.” He then leaned in a placed a soft kiss to the dragon’s temple, within it, magic that forced Guy to change shape back into his very familiar human form.

“Would Guy be able to do everything that you do, Luke?” Tear asked as the redhead looked over to her.

“Hm… for the most part. He’s not a pyromancer so he can’t manipulate flames like I can, though he does have the ability to move the earth given his flight affiliation. Oh man, but teaching an adult dragon how to fly… that’ll be something.” He shook his head with a sigh.

“That, I have to see.” Peony laughed. “Though, I hate to be the one to cut this reunion short, but perhaps we could head back to civilization? Get some food, rest, medical attention…” He gestured to his missing limb. “And perhaps celebrate?”

“We deserve it. We all saved the world!” Anise cheered excitedly. “This’ll go down in history books for sure!”

Luke looked around, reminding himself of his surroundings. Right, they were on Hod, which was an island…

“Grand Chokmah’s closer, but without Jade, I can’t fly you all across the ocean. And, trust me, Guy is not up to the task.” Inexperienced fliers were a major danger. “So the closest to here that goes over land would be Chesedonia-“ there was a serious increase to the mana in the air, all of it charged through Lorelei with a golden glow that sparkled around them.

In a flash, the scenery all around them changed, leaving them smack dab in the middle of Grand Chokmah along a very crowded street. Many people cried out and backed away at this, not sure what to make of such power. Luke merely looked up at the sky and shouted a ‘thank you’ to the gods before taking note of their new location. “Well, problem solved.”

“Y-Your majesty?” A guard stepped forwards to the group, eyeing the emperor with worry. He then gasped when he saw the injury. “I need medical attention here, immediately!” he called out, as other guards nearby started to scramble.

"It's good to be home,” Peony smirked, clearly not that concerned about his injury. "You all should go get comfortable. There'll be a feast and wine and- Well, maybe you shouldn't drink the wine." he said to Luke and Guy as one of the guards began to escort them to the palace. 

Guy laughed. "How about we just drink less?"

“Oh no,” Luke shook his head at Peony, already not happy to hear that, “No, I died today. I get to drink as much wine as I want at this banquet. And so long as you don’t try to cut me off, you don’t have to worry about drunken transformations or destruction of property.”

“Perhaps, but will Gailardia be able to control things when drunk?” The emperor snickered as the redhead looked over to the other dragon with a skeptical look. That was a good question, actually. “Granted he can barely get himself to change shapes but, who knows what could happen should his inhibitions slip.” The emperor teased as Meryl sighed heavily.

“Let’s just let everyone celebrate as much as they want, alright? We’ve more than earned this, those two especially.” The empress stamped her foot down and Peony laughed weakly.

“Alright, alright. We’ll crack open the best of our wine stores for the banquet tonight.”

“Banquet…?” The guard asked the emperor confusedly, which caused Peony to look over at him.

“Yes, banquet. We just stopped the destruction of the world; it’s cause for celebration!” Peony raised his brows at the man, who still stood there, somewhat speechless. “…Go tell the cooks to prepare.” He instructed and the guard then bowed before dashing off. “I swear…” he shook his head.

"I wanna get out of these clothes and into something comfy because we don't have to do _anything_ now!" she exclaimed, wanting to be rid of her armor already. 

Ion laughed a little. "Yes, I think a change of clothes and a bit of time to rest before the banquet would be a good idea."

"Exactly! And a bath! And a nap!"

"Anise, you'll miss the banquet if you do all of that."

"I can be fashionably late!"

Guy chuckled a little at that as he shifted his weight from foot to foot only to realize that absence of his blade at his side. Frankly, he was more than done with that line in his family and didn't need the reminder of all that had caused this chaos.

The knight lifted his arms high above his head and stretched his back out in the process, sighing as his arms flopped to his sides. "Yeah, I could stand to get out of this armor myself. Get yourself looked at, your majesty." he added to Peony who scoffed.

"Dragons. Always giving me orders."

 

They wandered off to the palace where Meryl and Peony went off together to go have his shoulder looked at by the medical staff. Anise, Tear, and Ion wandered their own way to the guest quarters, eagerly stealing rooms where they could undress, bathe, relax, and just breathe for the first time in… in who knew how long. They were all just so glad that this was finally over.

Luke pulled Guy along with him to one of the larger guest rooms, one that was meant to be shared by multiple people. The room itself was very quite spacious, with a large bed at the far wall enough to fit four people. With the door closed, Luke hurriedly pushed all of the breakable furniture to the far walls, before pointing at Guy in a rather dramatic fashion. 

“Transform again.” To which the blond was undoubtedly confused. Luke watched him intently, focusing on his every little move- the blond struggled for sure, but, what was important was that he was able to figure it out and do it on his own. The redhead beamed up proudly to his mate, the biggest of smiles on his face. “Gods be damned, you are beautiful.” he whistled, before swapping forms himself. The red dragon then proceeded to pounce onto the new bronze, causing them both to crash to the floor. Luke crawled on top of him, effectively pinning him to the ground, where he chirped in a rather pleasant, pleased manner as he gently nuzzled his head up against Guy’s.

"Am I? I don't really know what makes a dragon attractive." he laughed as he nuzzled his mate back, finding the sensation strange but very endearing at the same time. "We're going to have a lot of time together, you know." he hummed fondly as he drew back enough to eye the other dragon. "So you better help me get the hang of being a dragon."

“Of course,” Luke continued to lovingly nuzzle into the dragon’s side. “There’s no possible way that I would just leave you to figure things out on your own. Someone has to keep you from being a total danger to yourself and others.” he snickered, pulling away slightly so he could crane his head up to lick his cheek.

"Sure you won't get sick of the horribly inexperienced dragon?" Guy teased as he slid closer so they were flush side to side.

Luke chortled at Guy’s question, though there was a bit of a sigh mixed in there from contempt that Guy would ever ask him such a question, even if it was supposed to be in good humor. The red dragon leaned into Guy’s side, raising his head up to look him square in the eyes (those gorgeous, ocean blue eyes that contrasted so beautifully with his scales…) and nodded. “I would never get tired of you.” he swore, leaning in to lick his cheek once again. “We faced the end of the world together and made it through. I think I can handle you learning how to be a dragon.” 

 

That night, a major feast was held in Grand Chokmah, to celebrate the victory of the group who had managed to save their entire world from collapse and ruin. A glorious spread of food was devoured by heavily drunken patrons who sang songs and told stories of the heroes of their world. Fireworks were shot off into the sky, and this time, Luke could actually see them. 

Though, at the very end of it all, Luke couldn’t fight off the sleepiness that overtook him. After everything, all of the months of sleep that he had missed from his interrupted hibernation caught up with him. Meryl and Peony had an entire empire to sort through and merge together, as well as establish trade routes with the elves. Anise and Ion had the Order to completely rebuild, this time with accurate information thanks to all of the history and truth that had been revealed through their journeys. With nothing more that needed to be done on their part, Luke and Guy bid their goodbyes to their friends- as dragons could sleep for hundreds of years- and set off for the Deo Pass.

In a cave far off from the mountain side pass to the east lay the lair of a couple dragons. Within a red dragon slept peacefully atop his treasure trove, right next to his beloved mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> 1 You can understand everything I am saying now, can't you  
> 2 Hold out your hand

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Onwards](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6593371) by [CaffeinatedSunshine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaffeinatedSunshine/pseuds/CaffeinatedSunshine)




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